$2400 4K Gaming PC

Max settings at 4K resolution will bring any existing hardware to its knees, but we can come very close to your desired 120fps. You should expect to get better framerates substantially higher than the benchmarks below because the video card in this build is clocked 13.6% higher than the reference model.

The key to achieving the highest framerates at 1440p and 4K is simply to include the strongest video card possible. This means the RTX 2080Ti with the highest boost clock frequency we can afford.

• Destiny 2 Ultra Settings:
  
• 1440p: 198fps
  
• 4K: 99fps
  
• Full benchmarks
  
• Micro Center Parts:
  

• CPU, Motherboard
  

  
  

  PCPartPicker Part List
  

  
  

  Type|Item|Price
  

  ----|:----|:----
  CPU | Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor | $299.99
  CPU Cooler | be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler | $90.00
  Motherboard | Gigabyte Z390 GAMING X ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $119.99
  Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $69.99 @ Newegg
  Storage | Sabrent Rocket 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | $249.98 @ Amazon
  Video Card | MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB GAMING X TRIO Video Card | $1199.89 @ Amazon
  Case | NZXT H700 ATX Mid Tower Case | $109.98 @ Amazon
  Power Supply | Corsair TXM Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply | $89.99 @ Newegg
  Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit | $137.90 @ OutletPC
  Wireless Network Adapter | Rosewill RNX-AC1900PCE PCIe x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter | $59.99 @ Newegg
  | Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
  | Total (before mail-in rebates) | $2457.70
  | Mail-in rebates | -$30.00
  | Total | $2427.70
  | Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-25 21:49 EDT-0400 |
  
  #Explanation of Part Choices:
  
  

• Cpu: This is the second strongest gaming cpu available. You could technically get away with the 6-core Ryzen 5 3600 or the i5-9600K, but with a budget this large it makes sense to spend a bit extra to get an 8-core cpu to future-proof the build against the possibility that future games begin using more than 6 cores. I don't recommend the more expensive 9900K because we don't need hyper threading and the performance difference at 1440p and 4K resolutions will be negligible, and we are better off spending that money on a stronger video card.
  
• Cpu Cooler: This is one of the top two air coolers available and actually delivers stronger cooling performance than most high-end AIO water coolers. It will enable you to heavily overclock the 9700K if you choose. It is currently out of stock, but will be in stock on October 29th.
  
• Motherboard: One of the cheapest motherboards with VRMs strong enough to support overclocking the 9700K. See the Intel VRMs tier list.
  
• Memory: 3000mhz is the fastest speed before intel cpus suffer heavy diminishing returns. 15CAS latency instead of 16 (lower latency results in faster cpu performance). 16GB is more than enough memory unless you will be using this PC for professional video editing or CAD work.
  
• SSD: Cheapest 2TB TLC NVMe SSD with a dram cache and a 5 year warranty (make sure you register to get the warranty). NVMe SSDs are ~3 times faster than traditional SATA SSDs. TLC SSDs are much faster than the cheaper QLC SSDs in sustained reads/writes and do not slow down as much as they fill up. I do not recommend an HDD unless you plan to store large amounts of video files. It's hard to go back to loading games from an HDD after you've experienced SSD loading speeds.
  
• Video Card: The RTX 2080Ti is the strongest gaming video card available. EVGA is considered the most reliable brand with the best customer service. I selected a high-end model (as determined by its boost clock speed). It's boost clock speed is 1755mhz, which is 13.6% faster than the basic models which are clocked at 1545mhz. There are 2080Ti's with higher clock speeds than this, but they either have poor ratings or are several hundred dollars extra, which is just a very poor value.
  
• Case: This is the high-end version of the most popular case (the H500). We want the H700 because this build has very power-hungry hardware (more power equals more heat) and the H700 has significantly better airflow thanks to its larger vents and four case fans. I selected the black and white model just because it was slightly cheaper than the all black model.
  
• Power Supply: 7 year warranty. 750W is more than enough for this 449W system, which leaves plenty of room for overclocking and future upgrades. Modular for easier cable management. 80+ gold efficiency.
  
• OS: Windows 10 Pro as requested. However, Windows 10 Home would be fine as long as this PC will not be part of a large network of computers (like in a business office) and as long as you do not care about the remote access feature that Pro has.
  
• Wifi: It is actually much cheaper to get a separate wifi adapter than to get a motherboard with built-in wifi in most cases, particularly since you need gigabit connection speeds. This model is the cheapest gigabit wifi adapter with a large sample size of good reviews. Rated for 1300Mbps on the 5.0 GHz band and 600Mbps on the 2.4hz band. You can spend a bit more on the ASUS AC1900 if you want an extension cable so that the antennas can be in a more advantageous spot. This would only be necessary if the PC will be far from the router or or if the PC will be stuck under a metal desk or something else that would significantly block wifi signals.

Hi /u/codyhart - I am a GH4 shooter. It is a great camera, but with a $3000 camera budget, I would buy a camcorder.

As you say, by the time you buy ND filters, a Speedbooster to compensate for the GH4's sensor size, an XLR audio solution with decent preamps and rigging (e.g., a top handle) to compensate for its ergonomics - you might as well buy a real video camera.

In your price range, I recommend a [$2499 like new Super 35 4K JVC LS300 from a JVC authorized dealer] (https://www.amazon.com/JVC-GY-LS300CHU-Ultra-Camcorder-Handle/dp/B00USBVISE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?m=A2G9URD6L8MGV6&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1487606994&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) with a [$238 Canon to micro 4/3 autofocusing adapter] (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5575034783&toolid=10001&campid=5337235943&customid=&icep_item=351515840152&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg) and something like a [used $264.93 Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 lens with a 30 day warranty from Cellular Stream via Amazon] (https://www.amazon.com/Sigma-17-50mm-Aperture-Standard-Digital/dp/B003A6H27K/ref=as_li_ss_tl?m=A3GMNP3CXMIPDP&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1487606647&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20).

The LS300 has these features the GH4 lacks:

• 1080/120p slow motion (the GH4 is limited to 1080/96p)
  
• built-in ND filters
  
• built-in pro XLR inputs with phantom
  
• dual card slots (the GH4 has one)
  
• top handle
  
• LOG profile (the GH4's LOG profile costs $100 extra)
  
• built-in IP encoder for [live streaming] (https://youtu.be/Y3oYNy47yYo) with a [$9 wi-fi dongle] (https://www.amazon.com/Edimax-EW-7811Un-150Mbps-Raspberry-Supports/dp/B003MTTJOY//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
• SDI out
  
• full size HDMI out
  
• power zoom rocker with [prime zoom] (https://youtu.be/0Eq4_hPzQPc), which gives you a 2.5x lossless zoom with prime lenses
  
  I have shot with this camera, it is a solid pro camcorder with the ability to produce high quality 4K video at a reasonable price.
  
  Here are a few examples of the image quality this camera can produce:
  
  Narrative
  
  
• [UrbEx by Filippo Chiesa] (https://vimeo.com/200431612) (4K)
  
  
• [Даниил Хармс стихотворение Страх |Тест камеры JVC GY-LS300 by Александр Носовский] (https://youtu.be/xyO_-T7BhdM) (1080p)
  
  
• [JVC LS300 Test Footage by Hamilton Video & Sound Limited] (https://youtu.be/qQoDt62DNak) (1080p)
  
  Music Video
  
  
• [JVC GY-Ls300 Test 001 by Dario Viola] (https://youtu.be/LRWuOhLSAi8) (1080p)
  
  Corporate/Commercial/Interview
  
  
• [Halloween AM Skit by Robert Grant] (https://youtu.be/knzu5ZLgYMc) (1080p - Local TV promo - LS300 used on some shots)
  
  
• [KW Realty Group Experience, Anniston, Alabama by Barrett House Productions] (https://youtu.be/5fSgXSCEg9M) (1080p - [Azden SGM250 pro XLR microphone] (https://www.amazon.com/Azden-SGM-250-Professional-Powered-Microphone/dp/B00XWG2YBW//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) plugged directly into the camcorder)
  
  
• [Indian Oaks Event Center Community Golf Course by Barrett House Productions] (https://youtu.be/CLBbyXualSs) (1080p)
  
  Live Event
  
  
• [Supersonic Lips - House of Blues - Mas Musica Festival by Juan Flores] (https://vimeo.com/185562492) (1080p)
  
  
• [JVC LS300 Sample low light Footage (The Pocket Band) by Lonzos Studios] (https://youtu.be/VXEWARTJhv8) (2160p)
  
  Wedding
  
  
• [4K Ultra HD Wedding Film - Kassandra & Ralph's Photo Shoot by Jim Merchant] (https://youtu.be/d4pILlMyFEM) (2160p - shot with manual Rokinon cine lenses)
  
  
• [Kristin & Doug's Wedding at Glen Magna Farms 4K Ultra-HD Wedding by Jim Merchant] (https://youtu.be/GdKBKd5_e2Q) (2160p - shot with the LS300 and a Sony AX100 consumer camcorder)
  
  
• [Wedding with a jvc gy-ls300 by NOA NOA] (https://vimeo.com/154440004) (1080p - shot with the LS300 and Panasonic auto lenses)
  
  J-LOG on Vimeo (please watch at 4K and your monitor's highest resolution)
  
  
• [Japanese garden with the JVC gy ls300 by NOA NOA] (https://vimeo.com/162712903)
  
  
• [JVC GY-LS300 4K J-Log Vision] (https://vimeo.com/138523082)
  
  
• [Palm Springs Photo Festival 2016 - JVC LS300 footage by Zachary Andrews] (https://vimeo.com/164723392) (4K J-LOG)
  
  1080p on Vimeo
  
  
• [Breathing in New Life] (http://vimeo.com/120445118)
  
  
• [“Honmonji Temple” in GY-LS300 by moribun] (https://vimeo.com/139214323) (downscaled from UHD to 1080p, downloadable if you're a Vimeo Plus or Pro member [if you're not, you can sign up [here] (http://vimeo.com/pro/new?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=prosubscribe-cj-vimeo-bizlander-300x250-20130424&utm_campaign=7696)])
  
  
• [JVC GY-LS300 Camera Test] (http://vimeo.com/122736335)
  
  
• [A Snowy Day in Ann Arbor, Shot with the JVC GY-LS300 by Chase Stanton] (https://vimeo.com/158042771)
  
  J-LOG on YouTube (please watch at 2160p and your monitor's highest resolution)
  
  
• [GY-LS300 4K J-Log1 "KYOTO New Year's Day" by GAIPROMOTION] (https://youtu.be/efJrfawjVw0)
  
  Non-LOG Gammas on YouTube (2160p)
  
  
• [GY-LS300 UHD 4K w/ Canon 70-200 and 85mm lenses by JVCProfessional] (https://youtu.be/QYCdxMrvAoA)
  
  
• [JVC LS300 Clips by Hamilton Video & Sound Limited] (https://youtu.be/OzgGwCUdZV0)
  
  
• [EVS’s test footage for the JVC GY-LS300 4K super 35 Cinema camera] (https://youtu.be/S47dceBcuJI)
  
  
• [TOKYO“I”land KOWA PROMINAR w/JVC KENWOOD GY-LS300 by Satoshi Watanabe] (https://youtu.be/WO8DW5d0isE)
  
  
• [JVC GY-LS300 4K Footage by elton chong] (https://youtu.be/0pYEFhE3xLE)
  
  This camera is not perfect. It has a tiny viewfinder and LCD, so you'll probably need to buy an EVF - and, although it has 4:2:2 chroma subsampling, it is still an 8-bit camera.
  
  But for less than $3000, it is the most flexible large sensor, interchangeable lens 4K Super 35 camcorder on the market.
  
  Hope this is helpful and good luck with finding the right camera for your needs!

Okay I changed a few things to save you some money and get more bang for you buck.

• i5-6500 with the money you saved
  
• Dropped the CPU cooler. If you're not getting a "K" series CPU it comes with a cooler that will work just fine.
  
• You don't need a fancy motherboard trust me. This will do the job plus it supports DDR4 2133 Memory
  
• 8GB 2133 Memory. I have the same motherboard and I'm very happy with it.
  *Why pay more for the same SSD
  
• I guess you could be picky about a case, but lets be honest you don't need some fancy case that just hold your computer components together.
  
• Same monitor specs cheaper price
  
• PLEASE don't buy Windows 10 for that price. Microsoft offers a free upgrade from Windows 7 and 8. You can find it cheaper trust me.
  

• Don't get a PCIe WiFi adapter. A USB 3.0 adapter is going to work better you can get a much larger antenna plus the cord will allow for better placement. I have this one and I've very happy with it LINK
  

  
  

  PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
  

  
  

  Type|Item|Price
  

  ----|:----|:----
  CPU | Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | $194.99 @ SuperBiiz
  Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $49.99 @ Amazon
  Memory | Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory | $26.99 @ SuperBiiz
  Storage | Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $41.39 @ Amazon
  Storage | Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $54.85 @ Amazon
  Video Card | Gigabyte Radeon R9 380X 4GB WINDFORCE 2X Video Card | $224.49 @ SuperBiiz
  Case | Deepcool TESSERACT BF ATX Mid Tower Case | $33.99 @ SuperBiiz
  Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $74.99 @ SuperBiiz
  Monitor | Asus VS228H-P 21.5" Monitor | $99.99 @ Amazon
  Keyboard | Microsoft ANB-00001 Wired Slim Keyboard | $12.99 @ Directron
  Other| XBOX 360 wireless adapter| $15.99
  | Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
  | Total | $830.65
  | Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-07 00:49 EDT-0400 |

One could make a ghetto channel bonding router of sorts fairly simply, but that's probably overkill for the average lone nomad.

Or with the advent of thunderbolt/usb3.1, you could even just do it with your one computer if you aren't doing a vehicle.

Speedify will let you bond a bunch of connections together and short of thousands and thousands of dollars in equipment, it's the best thing going.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhBeD5fRAmY

you can just keep slapping wan connections in whenever you are. take an arbitrary number of 4G, wifi, ethernet sources and combine them for bandwidth and latency improvements.

As a thought exercise lets take this picture and built out something for it.

1 person, 1 laptop, carry-on travel mode style. It's gonna be very Dongle-y, so it's practical mostly for when you camp out somewhere for a while to work. This probably isn't worth setting up at the airport unless you are trapped a good long while.

That laptop we want to have a solid peripheral bus with lots of bandwidth. Ideally Thunderbolt 3, but the 10gb USB, or honestly probably even the 5gb USB is gonna do for most people anyway.

Then we get a hub device with lots of ports on it.

This thing probably has at least USB3.1, and thus 5.0gb of bandwidth there probably.

amazon makes a perfectly serviceable hub with external power option:
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-USB-10-Port-Power-Adapter/dp/B076YRWV6Z/

Then you grab a few usb3.0 to gigabit ethernet adapters for flexibility of input:
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-1000-Gigabit-Ethernet-Adapter/dp/B00M77HMU0/

plus some USB wifi adapters (so you can get on multiple wifi networks at once)

This is apparently the amazon favorite. Having an actual antenna is nice.

https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-1200Mbps-TECHKEY-Wireless-Network-300Mbps/dp/B07J65G9DD/

plus USB 4G modem sticks you can put local sims in. This is all gonna depend on where you travel. NA is different from Asia, etc.

Verizon offers one for $250 they claim works in 200 countries. On the other end, a Huawei stick that works in most of the world is like $60 and you can just keep popping sims in and out of them as you travel around and grab local ones. You can probably even just buy modems locally too as you travel. If you aren't buying from a carrier in north america, it's generally gonna be easy and painless.

You could also use phones as well. cheap ones have modems that can max most towers anyway, and they mostly all use the same antenna design now.

Some little baby usb extensions so you aren't fighting to fit things in your hub:
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Black-Extension-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00S2N2Q4U/

All those things are tiny and can go in a little electronics roll or bag or something at the bottom of a backpack:
https://www.amazon.com/ProCase-Electronics-Organizer-Universal-Accessories/dp/B01EN4PP4E/

1. My advice would be to buy a separate router and access point to get the best performance possible. Depending on your budget, you have multiple choice. What I would recommend is for you to get a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite and a Ubiquiti Unifi AP AC Lite, both together are going to be the same price of an R7000, but you will get so much more performance and flexibility. If you want to make sure to always get 150Mbps, you could add a second access point if you can wire them.
   
   
2. Make sure to get one with at least AC1200, and if possible, Beamforming. Something like this Netgear AC1200 or this TP-Link Archer T4UH would probably work well.
   
   
3. If you don't need 867Mbps on that PC, you might be ok with a USB dongle that supports N instead of AC. Another option would be to install a USB 3.0 card, you can get a PCI Express USB 3.0 card for about $20 on Amazon.
   
   
4. Yes, and no. The technology has advanced a lot but most consumer routers don't fully implement things to limit the cost. This is why I would recommend using Ubiquiti products instead of Netgear. Of course, if you have the budget, there are many more options that are "enterprise-grade" and that would allow you an even better connection. You could get a Ruckus R600 and get an incredibly powerful signal, but the access point is over $600. The Ubiquiti access point is a very good compromise between features and performance versus price.

You are good at this troubleshooting, gold star to you sir!

You're getting there, but basically you just need to be more careful in future not to remove the drivers, but uninstall the device itself (because how are you going to get the drivers again without a connection)

Right, you need to get the drivers somehow. Do any of your friends have a WiFi USB dongle you could borrow? It's basically a wireless network card on the end of a USB. You can pick one up for pretty cheap on Amazon, and I would recommend this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Edimax-EW-7811Un-150Mbps-Raspberry-Supports/dp/B003MTTJOY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1491853009&sr=8-2&keywords=edimax

Invest in one of these, they are lifesavers for situations exactly like these. I have about 5 lol.

If you can find a friend who has one, or get one yourself, install the driver that comes with it on CD and plug it in. You should get a WiFi connection right away under something like 'Wifi 2' in your network settings.

Go back into Device Manager and under the Unknown Devices section you should find some devices there, that are not recognised because of the lack of drivers.

Right click on each of them and click Update Driver Software, and then click Search automatically on the popped up window.

Let it do its thing, and it may take a few minutes. Windows 10 happens to be fantastic at searching for drivers, and it should find the drivers you need no bother at all!

Best of luck :)

Donor? why not new?

Here's a black one

Here's an orange one from a site that you will want to use a reloadable MasterCard to buy from

while it's open replace the laser (check your model number for exact laser replacement, this is just an example)

Open ps2 loader and all that.. I ended up having to order a swap magic disk to install free mcboot but there are other ways.

This is optional and expensive, but it will also be an upgrade for any internet connected device around your TV:

• Grab 2 suggested dual-band AC routers suggested here and flash one (or both DD-WRT is awesome) with DD-WRT or Tomato. If you already have a dual-band AC router, there's no reason to replace it, just get one dual band AC router and flash it.
  
  
• If you haven't already, replace your old router with one of the new ones (the one you don't have to flash with DD-WRT). Configure it as normal, you just upgraded your WiFi significantly though.
  
  
• Take the other router and follow the instructions to install the latest version of DD-WRT/Tomato, your going to need the additional functionality of these third-party firmwares.
  
  
• configure this router as a wireless bridge device, set it to connect to your other router in the 5Ghz spectrum. Make sure that you set this router's IP address as something other than the default 192.168.1.1 or you will have to start over with a 30-30-30 reset.
  
  
• Plug it in behind your TV and plug in anything that has an ethernet port to it (the PS2 with the hard drive kit obviously, but your Xbox 360/one, PS3/4, set-top boxes, smart TV, HTPC, rasberrypi, etc)
  
  
• If your PC is pugged into the router with a cat6e and has a gigabyte nic, your done. If you have your PC on a wireless network, you need to check to see what revision of WiFi your wifi nic supports. If it supports AC, you don't have to go any further. If it's a G/N card, you will also need to upgrade it as well. Laptop suggestion, Possibly needed accessory if you need a long card, Desktop suggestion
  
  What has all this done? Well, firstly your network is now upgraded to AC and that has given you a ~1Gbps link to your modem and other PCs on the network (assuming that you upgraded them all with new WNICs). have fun transferring your entire install of Fallout 4 from one PC to the other in a matter of moments, this would be a great time to look into faster internet packages because you can handle it.
  
  But the other thing, the thing that made you have to do all this scary firmware flashing on expensive networking equipment? Your devices now have a 1Gbps link to your router as well. That's far far better than the NICs in the consoles/set top boxes and since the PS2 has no wireless NIC, this was completely necessary to have it attached to your TV and be able to stream the ISOs off your PC. The router is working backwards, using WiFi as it's WAN connection and supplying connection to the ports.
  
  This is essentially the setup I have, except I'm using my old Dual-band N router as my wireless bridge. The PS2 can load a game far faster than it could off the disk through the network, but also my 360/PS3 can download content and updates far faster than they can with their internal adapters. Anything pulling network video will be more responsive, and will be able to utilise the full speed of your internet connection for things like Netflix.
  
  Is it a lot to connect your PS2 to the WLAN? oh yeah, but your also upgrading your connection for everything else you use at the same time.

Congratulations on the new job! The story I am about to tell you is in regards to a new job as well. As well as the Spartan race, my older brother and his wife compete in Camp Gladiator down in Austin every year. From what I can tell, it seems like a satisfying accomplishment.

For the past year, my job has had a really awful boss. After my old one retired, this lady came in from another store, and has since been the bane of my working day. I could write an entire rant about that, but the biggest issues where our gears would grind together was how we viewed basic semi-formal workplace communication. I have been openly scolded on the sales floor (working retail here) many times before, one particular time that always come to mind was for helping a customer when I was paged into her office to help with her computer. She came storming out and started raising hell because she wanted to finish her order so she could leave early. The customer tried defending me, and she gave him the "this does not concern you" routine, so I stepped out of my professional bubble and snapped. I yelled back at her. It was like one of those cinema moments. She was speechless, the customer wore a big grin, and I certainly felt better for doing it. I wasn't worried at the time about getting fired, the whole ordeal was on camera, and I feel I could have contested it. Since then I had only been given shifts where I would close a ten hour shift Friday night and open one Saturday morning. Though noting is particularly wrong with this, I was the only one on the schedule who was getting the treatment, and when others tried to switch shifts with me, the request would get denied. This went on for five months. I was not having this, so I called corporate offices and explained what was happening. After some fiddling around, I was approved to transfer to a store that was not only closer to home, but was changing over to the machinery I am trained in.

This has been the best week ever! because as of this Wednesday, I will have completed my seventh day at the new place. I love my boss, my new director and I are pretty much the same person as far as interests go, and I feel I can do a lot at this new place to make it my own. The icing on the cake of it all, the last day I worked, I learned that my old boss is no longer employed at the store that I was at before, and I would like to think I had a part in that. As awful of a fate as it was for her, she can not be in authority and be demeaning her employees over needing computer help.

I would love this small, cheap wireless dongle for my latest project. I'm planning on making a portable computer out of a Raspberry_Pi (tiny, credit card sized computer) that can be worn like a forearm protector. The dongle is usually more expensive, but the item recently dropped down in price. Having a small wireless attachment for my device would save me the need of having to plug it in to an Ethernet port to access the internet, defeating the purpose of 'portability' I am going for.

Raspberry Pi 2 Model B

Supports CEC. Comes with 4x USB 2.0 slots, an HDMI, quad core ARM A7 processor, 1 GB RAM, and an ethernet port. Also has GPIO pins but I don't know of any Kodi related uses for them. It is an extremely low power device (uses about $3 worth of electricity per year) and requires nothing to keep it cool (e.g., no fans blaring in the middle of your favorite movie).

Base cost is $35. Requires a microSD card, an HDMI cable, and a microUSB charger, all of which can be purchased for approximately $5 each. An existing microUSB charger, such as from your cell phone or a device like a Kindle or Chromecast can be used, of course. Optional components include a case ($10-$20 or 3D print your own), USB wifi dongle ($10+), and an external hard drive ($50+). A few companies put out bundles that include a Raspberry Pi board and various components such as this basic one and this more complete one. A wireless keyboard ($20+) can also be handy. Product links are provided as examples; there may be better deals or smarter purchases to be had.

You'll then want to use a minimalistic Linux distro such as OpenELEC or OSMC, both of which are designed specifically to run Kodi and have optimized builds for a Raspberry Pi. OpenELEC seems to be more popular and is what I use myself. Installation is easy -- you just download and write to your SD card (oh yeah, you might need an SD card reader, $5). If you'd like you can also install a "real" Linux distro and install Kodi in that as you would on a regular desktop computer. You can either store your media on an external hard drive connected to the Raspberry Pi or on a separate computer or NAS and share your files over your LAN.

Pros:

• Cheap base cost
  
• Low power
  
• Very hands off after initial setup
  
• CEC! Use your TV remote to control Kodi
  
• Hardware decoding for h264
  
• As it is full-fledged computer you can easily add in additional software such as emulators, a web browser, etc.
  
• More of a DIY solution (may be a con)
  
  Cons:
  
  
• A few plugins (typically they are Windows dependent) and more computationally intensive skins may not work
  
• May get pricey if you need to buy all the separate components
  
• Can not handle 10-bit x264 (aka Hi10p; rare outside of anime fansubs) or HEVC (aka h265) files.
  
• No 4K output, max resolution is 1920x1200
  
• More of a DIY solution (may be a pro)
  

Yes I do (Althought I always recommend Cable over Wifi ,but I'll just assume that isn't a possiblity for you :P )

The Archer T series are good. The 3 models come up as top, T6E , T8E , T9E. Some do 802.11AC wifi others don't. Depends on your router and home network if you would have any use for that.

Those are all PCI Cards you place inside your PC. The Asus PCE-AC68 also deserves a mention if we are talking about High performance Wireless cards. Althought its expensive.

You can also go the USB route, you'll end up with dongles like this Netgear AC1200 which is a excellent USB options, but once again pricey (See the trend, dont worry we are getting there)

A more affordable PCI Options would be this TP-LINK WDN4800 N900 or a USB dongle like this TP-Link WDN4200 N900

And if you are really low on funds you could go for something like the Asus USB-N13 for 18$ or TP-Link N300 which is only 11$.

Personally I'd recommend you grab the TP N900, either the PCI or USB variant would do fine , PCI is faster, USB is probably a bit more versatile as you can use it with any PC/Laptop. N900 gets great reviews all around and it supports 802.11N , should be plenty fast for gaming. One issue the N900 seems to have is Digital signage with W10 ,so you need a different driver than the official one to get by this issue and use 5ghz. Not sure if thats relevant for you.

Either way ,you see the trend, Asus and TP-link are really my go2brands for anything networking.

I realize I still gave you a ton of choices, might not be the most helpful, but atleast you'll have some direction to look.

Hello,

I kinda had a problem like this a while ago, and it took me quite some time to determine what was going on, which, as it turns out, wasn't related to Steam or CSGO. Despite what others have said, for me it was a hardware (or firmware) issue. Anyway, here's what I figured out...

I run a Wifi setup because where I'm located I am not physically close to my router for LAN. My problem was similar to yours in so much that attempting to download updates would either corrupt the game, or end up with saying the download was corrupt. In any case, it turned out to be my primary WLAN card. To fix the situation, I swapped over to my secondary WLAN card and, go figure, update downloads started working just fine again with no corruptions of any kind. Not entirely sure what the issue is, considering the primary card works just fine for every other application, but this is the root of the problem, so changing up your cards is your best bet. If you don't have more than one, or if you use LAN vs WLAN, here's what I'd suggest you do...

For WLAN setup:

• First off, try using LAN over WLAN if feasible. If not, keep reading...
  
• Change to a different wireless card. If you don't have one, buy another cheap one from Amazon. [This] (http://www.amazon.com/Panda-Wireless-PAU06-300Mbps-Adapter/dp/B00JDVRCI0/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1463330990&sr=1-6&keywords=usb+wireless+adapter) USB wireless adapter works just fine. I don't recommend things I haven't used myself.
  
• With the two cards installed (once you have two), make sure you are using the new one.
  
• Go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings > Right click on the OLD adapter > Disable > Now make sure you can connect with the new adapter > Restart Steam and try downloading updates again
  
  For LAN setup (physical cable from router to PC):
  
  
• Given that most computer only have one ethernet port, you options are limited.
  
• Try wireless like above, recommendation on wireless adapter still stands.
  
• Try a USB ethernet adapter. In this case, [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Ethernet-Network-Adapter-Chromebook/dp/B00484IEJS?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00) one should do just fine. I use it for my Chromebook in areas with only LAN access.
  
• With the USB adapter installed, make sure you are using it.
  
• Go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings > Right click your built in LAN port > Disable > Now make sure you can connect with the new adapter > Restart Steam and try downloading updates again
  
  If none of that works, the only other option I'd suggest to you that I didn't see listed here already is changing your download region in Steam.
  
  
• Go to Steam > Settings > Download > Download Region > Change this to any region WELL AWAY from your current one, which is typically the one closest to you.
  
• After change, restart Steam and try downloads again.
  
  The region change did not work for me, but did for many others, so that's the only reason why I mention it. In any case good luck!
  

I submitted the following comment when I made this post yesterday. Unfortunately it got blocked because I accidentally included a couple referral links which I just copy/pasted off the piratebox website. Thanks to the mods for promptly getting back to me about why it kept getting deleted.

SD card and shipping & handling not included.

pi zero - $5.00

pins - $8.95

[wifi adapter](https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WN722N-Wireless-Adapter-External/dp/B002SZEOLG?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top) - $13.33

right angle USB ports - $5.64

USB battery - $3.99

micro-mini usb cable - $2.89

Total: $39.80

*I used an Alfa AWUSO36NH but the TP-LINK TL-WN722N should work. More information on compatible network adapters here.

The optional Illuminated LED shutdown switch makes this device easier to use but costs an additional $16.99

About

PirateBox software runs on inexpensive hardware to connect users over an offline wifi network. Join it and your browser redirects to a simple interface where you can share files, chat, and stream video.

Pifm is a small program you can install in a Raspberry Pi PirateBox, aka “pi(rate)box.” It can broadcast on FM radio to inform potential users about the PirateBox wifi network, play uploaded music, and with a USB microphone Pifm lets you talk live to your audience.

Improvements

The first version of this project was well received so I'm back to share design and documentation improvements. Pi(rate)FM Zero is now fully self contained. It turns on and off with a button press and can automatically broadcast information about the wifi network over empty FM stations at user defined intervals.

Controversy

Back in March I was told the FCC would raid me, disassemble my pi, fine me up to $50,000 and label me a terrorist. I'm happy to report none of that happened :) The FM signal may be messy but it's also short range. The Pifm developers claim it can broadcast up to 100 meters. In my experience (with a 20cm antenna) it goes no further than 40 meters.

To my understanding this device is legal in the US under 47 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Section 15.239 and the [July 24, 1991 Public Notice (still in effect)](https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-297510A1.pdf]. From the FCC's website:

>Unlicensed operation on the AM and FM radio broadcast bands is permitted for some extremely low powered devices covered under Part 15 of the FCC's rules. On FM frequencies, these devices are limited to an effective service range of approximately 200 feet (61 meters).

Thanks to everyone who shared concerns over Pifm's legality. I took /u/QuirkyQuarQ's advice and experimented with a 100 MHz low-pass filter. Unfortunately, the FM signal leaks through the network adapter. I'll continue to look into it. Pifm may cause interference but there shouldn't be any trouble if you keep it away from airports and don't attach massive antennas to it.

Why not use a car/smartphone FM trasmitter?

You totally could. It might even be better in some situations if you don't mind a slightly larger, more expensive device with an extra battery to charge. Keep in mind you'd lose the ability to live broadcast with a microphone or play audio directly from the PirateBox.

Going forward

In my next version I'd like to improve the PirateBox interface and make a way for users to rate playlists while having Pifm automatically play the highest ranked tracks. Users could upload music and vote on which tracks gets played. It'd be your own personal short range interactive digital-analog radio station hosted on a private intranet.

Bonus**

Here's a .img file for your convenience. Just install it to an SD card (at least 4 gb) and run it in a Pi Zero to get started. Note: auto broadcast on FM isn't enabled by default so you'll need to add a cronjob as detailed in the guide if you want to activate this feature.

You are correct. In my experience, this is generally not a problem. The hotel is probably giving you a slower uplink anyway. Or, even if you're not getting max speed, you're getting plenty to watch Netflix easily.

I'm not aware of a native two-radio travel router. However, being that I am a network engineer and interested in this kind of thing, I eventually ended up looking for a dual radio solution just to see if I could make it work. If nothing else, at least this gets my LAN traffic off the same frequency as the other nearby hotel guests on my same hotel AP.

I started with a Ravpower Filehub that I already had. I was going to link you to the Amazon page for it, but it appears they have reused the same page to sell a new version of the device that doesn't look like mine and I don't know if it can be used in the same way. The one I have looks like this:

http://www.getdatgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/RAVPower-All-In-One-FileHub-3.jpg

That travel router is nice because it has a built in USB battery bank. That can be nice when you're trying to find the magic spot in the hotel where wifi is strong enough. I find the best positioning without cables, then plug it in.

I installed OpenWRT on it and went looking for a USB wifi radio to add on. OpenWRT has limited support for USB wifi radios, and in fact I couldn't find anything 802.11ac. I eventually found this dual-band N adapter, which is supported:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SZEOLG

This gives me a true two-radio solution. The USB radio is dual-band and the internal radio is 2.4 only. OpenWRT isn't a super user-friendly solution, but it works for me. For example, it is up to me manually to set the LAN/AP channel to make sure it isn't simply sitting on the same channel as the WAN/client radio.

I have used this in a number of hotels (I travel a lot) and it works well with my Chromecast. This gets me past the captive portals on the Chromecast, and also on devices that are technically captive portal capable but annoying (like the Kindle). One login on any device is all it takes for all of my devices, no matter how many or which ones I bring.

I've even used it in a hotel with 128 kbps Internet that was too slow to stream. I was able to use Plex on my laptop to stream local content across the travel router's LAN to the Chromecast. The slow Internet WAN wasn't enough to stream on, but it was enough for the Chromecast to load apps and consider itself connected to the net.

One caveat: Some hotels limit the max speed of each client. If you log into their network with your phone and laptop as different clients, they each get a share. If you use a travel router, they both have to share a single client's allocation.

Random other advice: You know how streaming sticks often come with a short 3-inch or so HDMI extension cable? Use it. One of the hotel TV HDMI ports destroyed my Chromecast's HDMI connector (it actually pushed one of the pins on the Chromecast's HDMI connector back), and it would have been better if it had just destroyed the HDMI extension cable.

While Ethernet is best, if you must go with wifi, then look for a good USB wifi adapter (minimum 2 stream 802.11ac (AC1200) )

(Please, if you can, try to do a direct Ethernet connection, it will offer you the best possible experience)

Under ideal conditions, 2 stream 802.11ac, tops out at about 500mbit/s on the 5GHz band, and around 250-270mbit/s on the 2.4GHz band, though if you are far from the access point (even if just 20 feet + a wall, can easily drop the throughput to around 100mbit/s)

The main problem that PCI based wifi adapters on desktop PC's have, is the antenna location. The antennas are usually on the back of the case, and thus half of the signal path is being blocked by the case which acts as an RF shield.

While you can improve the signal by getting some longer coax cable and moving the antennas to a better unobstructed location, but you then get signal loss.
With a USB wifi adapter (USB 3.0 preferred), you can place the adapter in a good location and not have any signal loss since the analog signal is made digital before you suffer any line losses. (PS USB 3 wifi adapters will restart them selves if you connect to a 2.4GHz network, as USB 3 signals heavily at 2.4GHz, and thus the adapter drops to USB 2 mode to avoid raising the noise floor for the wifi)

If you want one of the fastest USB 3 wifi adapters, then you are looking at the netgear A6210
http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-AC1200-Wi-Fi-Adapter-A6210-100PAS/dp/B00MRVJY1G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416840946&sr=8-1&keywords=netgear+a6210

PS keep in mind that with both wifi, and powerline, as the signal weakens, the latency will increase.

If you want the best possible wifi connection, then the only option, is to use 2 wifi routers as a wireless bridge.

This is a benchmark of my R6300V2 being used as a wireless bridge http://i.imgur.com/3zK7rq8.jpg
(pretty much tops out at pretty much 702.7mbit/s, and due to the high transmit power on both ends (2 routers each pushing close to 1000mw ) the range is extremely good, which is another benefit of wireless bridges, a normal client will typically have around 100-200mw transmit power, while a good router will pump out close to 1000mw, they also tend to have better antennas, and better receiver sensitivity (which is usually why a higher transmit power router can improve range even though the client has a low transmit power)

Umm to be honest your probably fine with the one you have. The reason I recommended the one there is because I have the 100MBPS UGREEN one and it works great and have had no issues. Even things as far as having the Ethernet cable stay securely into the adapter on these is nice which I have had one other where that was an issue. But yeah I imagine the Nintendo ones are great so you should be good with that!

EDIT: Nevermind someone mentioned before that there is a specific chipset for Ethernet adapters that is best for the Switch so if you don't have it might be best to upgrade. Here is the one I found for the best price that they recommended: https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Ethernet-Gigabit-Network-Adapter/dp/B00AQM8586

I think most of your questions depend on how you plan to use your Switch. For me, 99.9% of the time I use it in handheld mode, so accessories important for my usage are different than someone who primarily uses it in docked mode.

​

• HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Whichever mode you primarily use your Switch in, I highly recommend getting a Screen Protector and microSD card. The screen on the Switch covered by transparent soft(er) plastic that is easy to scratch. Most Tempered Glass screen protectors should offer enough protection against scratches (like https://www.amazon.com/amFilm-Tempered-Screen-Protector-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B01N3ASPNV/)... and some Switch cases (like the Nyko Thin Case https://www.amazon.com/Nyko-Thin-Case-Dockable-Protective-Protector/dp/B072KHS2Q5/) comes with one. As for microSD, I'd recommend getting at least 128GB from a reliable brand (200-400GB if you plan on playing a lot of games on the Switch). Both Sandisk and Samsung are reliable brands, but BE CAREFUL where you purchase your microSD from... as many online resellers sell fakes or can have their stock contaminated by 3rd parties. I personally have a 400GB Sandisk (https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-128GB-microSDXC-Memory-Adapter/dp/B074RNRM2B/) in my Switch, and I have only have 122GB free (100+ physical games, 22 small indie downloads, and 3 full-size downloads).
  
  ​
  
  
• HANDHELD ACCESSORIES: For me, a good grip (I use both Satisfye https://www.satisfye.com/ and Skull & Co https://www.amazon.com/Skull-Co-GripCase-Set-Comfortable-Replaceable/dp/B078WGT97X) is essential. Both of these have "bundles" that include zippered carrying cases that holds your Switch, several game cards, and other accessories. If you are on-the-go a lot, I would also recommend a good Battery Pack (I use the Nintendo-branded Anker 13400 with Power Direct https://www.amazon.com/Delivery-PowerCore-Nintendo-Official-13400mAh-Portable/dp/B07DMFL3SJ/), and a spare AC Charger if you don't want to unplug your dock each time (I only use the official Nintendo one https://www.amazon.com/Nintendo-Switch-AC-Adapter/dp/B01N7RUZ49/). Here is a good website on which battery packs (and chargers) work well with the Switch: https://switchchargers.com/.
  
  ​
  
  
• DOCKED ACCESSORIES: For me, I leave a dock permanently attached to my AV setup (which is why I bought a second AC Charger). I recommend buying a compatible LAN adapter using the ASIX AX88179 chipset (I use https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Ethernet-Gigabit-Network-Compatible/dp/B00AQM8586/) and a CAT5 or 6 cable to hardwire your dock into your network. I'd also invest in extra Joy-Cons and Joy-Con Grips (like Satisfye's Mini Gaming Grip https://www.satisfye.com/products/mini-gaming-grip) or a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller (https://www.amazon.com/Nintendo-Switch-Pro-Controller/dp/B01NAWKYZ0/) for your own comfort and for multiplayer.
  
  ​
  
  Hope this helps as a starting point!

I recently had to figure out broadcom drivers on a Lenovo Thinkpad with Debian...it took a while but was thankfully well documented...I'd recommend a known-compatible USB solution...although I'm ambivalent about wired-vs-wireless as long as you're mindful that WiFi-isn't-Ethernet™

Two known good (native support) solutions -

WiFi: https://www.amazon.com/Edimax-EW-7811Un-150Mbps-Raspberry-Supports/dp/B003MTTJOY

Ethernet: https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Micro-B-Ethernet-Adapter-Raspberry/dp/B00RM3KXAU

Else, google will be your friend to find someone else who's figured out this specific hardware/software stack. Honestly, with all of the dependencies that you'll likely need to satisfy via a thumbdrive (or something??!), you probably really want a working network connection (or a lot of patience). I tried the Thinkpad's wifi without a network connection at first, and quickly decided to go find an Ethernet cable...

If you had another rPi with a working network connection, you could use that hardware to bootstrap the rPi Zero's sdcard && os && driver...

If you do get this adapter working, make sure to come back and update with how you got it up and running...you probably won't be the only person with this question :)

Radio is weird.
(tldr at end)
The overall power matters, but the concentration of that power matters. For example, if you're just talking normally, your voice can be heard decently near to you. But if you talk through a cone, your voice can be heard better, farther, but only in a limited area.

Directional antennas are the same way. They don't change the overall power being sent, but they change the concentration of it, making where they point effectively more powerful see: EIRP

So, yes, you may have a real problem wherein a directional antenna could get data to your laptop, but your laptop may not be able to get that data back to your antenna. One can focus its power, your laptop likely can't (Some newer standards and chipsets support beamforming, which is similar, but i'm discounting that).

Your distance is far, but it's possible. There are special setups for Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISP) that take distance into account, but easiest thing for you is probably to :

tldr: use a directional antenna like what you linked for your wireless access point, and something like this on your laptop http://smile.amazon.com/Alfa-AWUS036NH-802-11g-Wireless-Long-Range/dp/B003YIFHJY?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage . Point them at each other, and you might have a strong enough signal, though the distance is still at the edge of what will work without more special solutions.

To be honest I had a hard time finding the perfect wireless adapter. No amount of specs would show the real world usuage of an adapter. I went through three before getting this one.

Netgear AC1200 Wi-Fi Adapter High Gain Dual Band USB 3.0 https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00MRVJY1G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_bRWJAbGXH4XCA

It supports 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz. Has good range and data throughput. I would recommend it as the price has even gone down since I purchased it(I payed $95 after taxes, no shipping costs).

Never had an issue with it, never had to unplug and plug it back in. Great latency as all i ever did was play games using it. It even comes with a little dock and cable so you can place it on your desk if you like.

I would also encourage you to use an application like this:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.assia.sweetspots

You see when using a wireless adapter the data transfer rate can change with every inch you move your wifi adapter. This was a very critical thing for me to learn as I could get 120Mbps in one place but only 40Mbps two inches to the right.

So I used this app to find the perfect sweet spot and taped the dock in place. So I could always have the best possible wifi.

A few things:

• Any type of USB to micro-USB cable will work fine. For example: Amazon, Adafruit.
  
• The adapter (the part that plugs into the wall) does need to be 5V - however pretty much all USB adapters will output 5V because that is the standard for USB (other things that have a barrel plug on the end, like laptop chargers, might be 12V, but you shouldn't need to worry about that).
  
• USB chargers are rated at different currents. The original claim was that you could just use any old micro-USB cell phone charger, but some of those didn't supply enough current for additional USB devices plugged into the Pi (mouse, keyboard, wifi dongle etc). If you have a model B+ (which can handle more current than the Model B thanks to a redesigned power circuit) I'd recommend a supply rated for 2 amps, like this.
  
  
• This wifi dongle is very popular. I have it and it works fine.
  
  
• Adafruit has several cases. I have the black one which is currently out of stock there but also available at SparkFun. I think clear cases are cooler but this one works fine.

Right... just reporting back on my findings on this and also looking for some help.

I've not been able to watch 4K films on my TV up until this point.

FIrstly, I bought this adaptor:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BBD7NFU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I "forgot" my WiFi settings so the TV had no internet connection. Plex was showing "No Connection".

As soon as I plugged it in it started flashing and Plex started working again! So... result so far!!!

Then I tried to play a movie that had the following audio...

• Codec HEVC
  
• Bitrate 85343 kbps
  
• Bit Depth 10
  
• Chroma Subsampling 4:2:
  
• Color Primaries bt2020
  
• Color Range tv
  
• Color Space bt2020nc
  
• Color Trc smpte2084
  
• Frame Rate 23.976 fps
  
• Height 2160
  
• Level 5.1
  
• Profile main 10
  
• Ref Frames 1
  
• Width 3840
  
• Display Title 4K (HEVC Main 10 HDR)
  
  The video was "direct play" but the audio (detailed above) transcoded and, unfortunately, it still buffers now and again?
  
  However, if I play another audio stream which is "direct play" then the film plays fine without buffering?
  
  Does anyone know what's causing it to buffer when I'm transcoding my audio??
  
  If I check the bandwidth, CPU and RAM whilst it's transcoding the audio, the bandwidth seems to spike around 260Mbps (the CPU and RAM seem very low and steady - around 20% for both). However, the bandwidth spikes don't seem to correlate with the buffering? It can go to 260Mbps and then drop to 150Mbps - then drop to around 100 and suddenly 'buffer'?
  
  Anyone know where to direct my attention next to fix it so that I can also transcode audio?
  
  (BTW X-play seems to be worse than Plex for some reason - unless there's settings in X-play I don't know about - I've only used it once before?)
  
  This is a massive leap forward as it is. Just being able to play 4K films is great. But it would be amazing if I could also play the proper audio?
  
  Thanks for your help :-)
  
  Note: TV is LG OLED65C7V

Honestly, I was in the same boat. Great memories with Smash and my college roommates. Got online to hang out with them when we have time. As long as you don't take every hit seriously and enjoy it for the game, its alright. I use to get mad at the input lag and buttons not working, but I changed to basically play with my friends online (also get a Lan Adapter and tell your friends to as well) and you will have a lot of fun. You might even find another game you guys like to play as well, for us it's Mario Kart, don't drink and drive.

By plug ethernet, are you referring to powerline adapters? Because for internet in a pc in general, that's what I would recommend if direct ethernet is not an option. It's much more consistent than any wifi card could be imo. I own this and it's pretty widely regarded as a good one. It's pricey but worth it and it's basically as portable as a wifi card because your pc is definitely going to be plugged into an outlet somewhere and that's all a powerline adapter needs, an outlet.

Otherwise, pcie adapters that are good... I'll just link one that I've heard about from others that liked it. I think this is popular or this upgraded version of it. Otherwise, there's a tplink that just has a ton of reviews on pcpartpicker, full 5 stars for 200+ ratings which is impressive.

I think the 780ti is much better than the 1050ti. It's just old so I'm assuming it just draws a lot more power than the 1050ti and has much older architecture. But if it saves you a ton of money and you're going to upgrade anyway, I don't see why not. It'll get the job done in the meantime.

Finally, after all these reviews, i'm going to buy these pieces and build my masterpiece-wannabe.

I would like to thanks /u/Raffles7683 for his dedicated, nice and smart help ! Also, thanks to /u/DIK-FUK and /u/golli123.

That's it, the final configuration, which is 2€ cheaper than the first one. WHAT A SAVE. But it's all the way better. I finally picked a I7-6700k as a CPU since nobody seems to know at which point a I5-6600k will bottleneck the GTX 1080, even with a 4.5 Ghz overclock. The debate is running litteraly everywhere and no one has the same point of view. So... I guess i can throw 100€ by the window to be sure and to overlock a i7 to 4.4 Ghz.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU |Intel Core i7-6700K | €325.79 - Amazon.it
CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler | €34.99 - Amazon.it
Motherboard | Asus Z170-P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | €109.61 - Amazon.fr
Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | €126.04 - Amazon.it
Storage | Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | €74.00 - Amazon.es
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | €53.44 - Amazon.fr
Video Card | KFA2 GeForce GTX 1080 EXOC 8GB Video Card | €560.00 - French shop
Case | Fractal Design Define S ATX Mid Tower Case | €76.32 - Amazon.de
Power Supply | Corsair CSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | €78.99 - Amazon.es
Wireless Network Adapter | Asus PCE-AC56 PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter | €48.00 - Amazon.de
Monitor | Acer XB271HU bmiprz 27.0" 2560x1440 165Hz Monitor | €699.90 - French shop
| Total | €2187.08



The CPU has been edited according to /u/Raffles7683's review and /u/DIK-FUK's build suggest. And updated, because no one knows what is a bottleneck, in real world.
The RAM / SSD has been edited according to /u/Raffles7683's review, again.
* The case has been edited according to /u/golli123's review


I will provide some news in the future with, probably, in build photos :)

I bought this one and it works great, except the cord from the USB to the adapter is too short to fit through the cord slot on the back of the dock, so the dock flap needs to be open. This isn't a problem for my setup since the dock sits inside an open cabinet in our tv stand and you can't see the back of the dock. I think I remember a thread on this sub where someone recommended an adapter that does have a cord that fits through the slot, allowing you to close the back flap, so if that's an issue for you, do further research.

One other important thing to note: the ethernet adapter does nothing for handheld mode. This is probably obvious, but it's worth noting just in case someone doesn't know this already. I play the Switch almost exclusively in handheld mode except for Splatoon, and this adapter makes a huge difference for that, it's like night and day. I should probably start playing Rocket League on the tv as well, but I love being able to play in handheld mode and not hog the tv.

eh that's what happens when I try to do shit with my phone

https://www.amazon.com/Alfa-2-4HGz-RP-SMA-Screw--Antenna/dp/B003ZWPRUI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465983658&sr=8-1&keywords=alfa+panel

AMP makes a very noticeable difference but I don't think it's really putting a full 2W. It's cheap though so worth it IMO. Range depends entirely on location, elevation, weather, and what you are "shooting into". Starbucks into an office building is going to have a lot shittier range than say the top of a parking garrage down into a park.

This is basically my "what a hacker might use" set up. The panel, amp, and a NHA and NHR alfa worked great for long range but had some issues with missing packets in Kali. I found the best collection was using airpap cards in Windows wireshark and running attacks via the alfa set up in a Kali Vm.

Also needless to say the airpcap nx card with the 2 external antennas was king but it's a freaking $700 wifi card so it better be.

https://www.cacetech.com/documents/AirPcap%20Nx%20Datasheet.pdf

If you can get 3-4 airpcap classic cards off ebay for cheap (I found 3 for $200) each one can cover 20 mhz of spectrum and you can link them in aggregate with the airpcap control panel. This makes it highly effective for a leave behind collection device against a router that self adjusts. Price might put it out of the range of a regular hacker and more into the industrial espionage price range. You may be able to find an NX for cheap on ebay it seems like cace is getting out of the market with the whole airpcap line so they are getting kinda rare.

edit

also don't forget the noble cantenna. Looks shady as fuck but it's good if you're on a college student budget. You can usually get them just as good as an alfa panel antenna, they just look like a big sign that says "i am up to no good". Make sure if you are using an alfa with an RP SMA connector to build it out of an RP sma and not a regular SMA. Ie fit the pieces together and make sure they're the right kind before you start doing anything.

http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/cantennahowto.html

edit edit

also check this little guy out. I found him out after I finished my 802.11 stuff but i like it a little better than the alfa cards. Doesn't come with a super fancy antenna when you buy it but it's a lot cheaper and just as good once you put a panel or cantenna on it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SZEOLG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The online play is alright, but because of the nature of the Wii U's wifi connection, it's nearly impossible to get good netplay without the use of a LAN adapter.
This is the one I use - it's cheap, and it's always been perfect for me: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MYT481C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
If you need a guide on how to get one set up, that exists too: http://www.pokkenarena.com/forums/topic/560-your-handy-guide-to-lan-adapters
Once you're all done with that, come to the Discord to get some friendlies, as you're not guaranteed to fight people with good connections on Ranked: discord.gg/pokken
Hope I could help!

tl;dr: Of how to get Splatoon running well easily but for money (which will also benefit every other internet enabled device in your home!).

Step 1) If you're using an ISP provided modem (or heaven forbid modem/router combo), take it and chuck it in the garbage into their returns center. Replace this with a new (new in box, not used), ISP compatible modem.

Step 2) If your router is from 2010 or early, it's time to upgrade. If you don't have one because it was in your Modem provided by an ISP. . . Well, you need to get one (also new!).

Step 2.5 (OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED IF YOU POSSES THE TECHNICAL APTITUDE)) Install an alternate firmware (OpenWRT, DD-WRT, etc) to your router.

Step 3) Get an Ethernet Adaptor for your Wii U.

Step 4) Get a line of at least CAT-5e (just about any ethernet cable you'll find in store long enough to reach from your router to your Wii U (so long as that's less than 100 meters), and plug them into each other.

Step 5) Set your Wii U to run off the new shiny wired connection!

Step 6) If running your Wii U on a wired connection is not an option, nor is purchasing about $150~200 in network equipment viable. Send me a PM and I can help you make the best of it.

Hi there, sorry for the late answer I was out for the week-end!

It will depends highly on what you expect him to do with it, and also your budget. But for the more standard it will be at least:

• The Pi
  
  
• A power cable: the "Alim" was a bad use of a french word for power cable
  
  
• A case or another (You can also build one with Legos! :D )
  
  
• a microSD card for the OS (no preference I took the first link I saw)
  
  Then there can be:
  
  
• A usb wifi adapter if the can't plug an ethernet cable
  
  
• An hdmi cable if you think he will use it on his TV or standard PC monitor.
  
  
• About the controller, if you think he will build a media center linked to his TV with the HDMI cable, some TVs allow the use of "CEC" controller, and so his TV command will be automatically compatible with the Pi. Else, he can use a classic keyboard and mouse set, or some mobile solution or even a snes usb controller if he wants to build a retrogaming console
  
  
• To finish if you have a large budget for your friend there is a lot of accessories you can find in the related articles of the Pi on Amazon, like a webcam, a motion sensor module
  
  
• You can also buy a complete bundle or a starter kit like this if you think he will have fun with all the electronic parts :)
  
  And I confirm, it can be a pretty cool gift for a friend to build :)

>Will a mATX limit how much you can upgrade? I am willing to go down to the i3-6100 or up to the i5-6600k if that is better for my situation. I am willing to put in more money for the ability to upgrade easier.

The h110m motherboard is not really for i5-6600k as it's an overclocking CPU so that would need to be paired with Z170 motherboard. Otherwise you might just rather stick to the i5-6500 as it's not too far off the 6600k performance at stock clocks.

>I noticed that most ATX mobos have 4 memory slots and most mATX have 2 memory slots. Does this mean that I would have to buy a 1x8GB GPU for the mATX if I wanted to upgrade later on?

Well, that build already has 16GB RAM. I think it's enough RAM for the next 6+ years or something. The motherboards RAM doesn't have that much to do with the GPU VRAM, other than you want to have at least as much on the motherboard as on the GPU.

>Overclocking? Is that only for computer enthusiasts/ extreme gamers? Or is it a way to get the best bang for your buck out of buying computer components? (No worries if you can’t comment on this. I’m sure it will be a long one)

Overclocking is about as easy as microwaving food. At the basic level it's two dials, CPU core voltage and CPU multiplier (or GPU core voltage and GPU clock speed). https://www.reddit.com/r/overclocking you can see some guides there on the sidebar and read the WIKI too.


That build can't really be overclocked. i5-6500 is locked CPU (meaning no overclocking) and h110m motherboard doesn't have support for overclocking. Also the RX 480 doesn't really seem like an overclockable graphics card at this point, especially the current reference versions.

>Memory? I am very confused how to pick the optimal memory for this rig. Most of what I have read that is similar to what I am building have either a DDR4 or a DDR3, but have no idea where to go from there.

Currently I recommend everyone to buy those Intel Skylake CPUs like i3-6100, i5-6500, i5-6600k, i7-6660k etc. those support DDR4. And also the Skylake motherboards 95% of the time only accept DDR4 memory.

With that h110m motherboard the maximum support memory speed is the 2133Mhz DDR4, which you already have on that build so nothing needs to be changed. Picking higher speed memory would give no advantages on that motherboard.

For wifi you can add this https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Wireless-Adapter-Support-TL-WN822N/dp/B00416Q5KI?ie=UTF8&tag=pcpapi-20 or the more expensive version with 5Ghz support.

Maybe this for monitor, 23" IPS 60HZ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824025094&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Mini is just the size, no worries, it still is a normal GTX 1060 6GB in a smaller body. As far as the keyboard is concerned, this year I got a Rapoo V700 mech keyboard, no illumination, but still a great one for just 25€. But still for 25€ is OK, for 50(~60€) I'd expect to get a lot more, not just some chinese illumination. Anyway, that's my opinion. I've used this adapter https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-LINK-TL-WN822N-Wireless-Adapter-Version/dp/B00416Q5KI/ref=sr_1_33?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1501163112&sr=1-33&keywords=wifi+tplink for a long time and has always worked great, also CSGO ran flawlessly, but as always for very competitive gaming wired is the best option, even if you invest hundreds of $$$ just for wifi.

BTW here are all the keyboards featured in PCPP https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/products/keyboard/#k=1&sort=price&page=1
I'd advise choosing one with Cherry Keys, the other ones are just cheaper chinese clones.

EDIT: Just found this: http://www.corsair.com/en-gb/strafe-mechanical-gaming-keyboard-cherry-mx-brown-ch-9000500-na-refurbished It's a refurb, but comes directly from Corsair and has warranty.

I'm the guy who nearly tossed my x201 (2.67 Ghz i7 with turbo boost up to 3.3Ghz, 8gb ram, 256 gb SSD). About 6 months ago it started over-heating to the point of dying every twenty minutes. I had to have one of these monsters attached to the vent whenever I used it. That vacuum fan was a big hassle to carry around and meant I was 1 USB port down. About 3 months ago the internal wifi card stopped working so I bought one of these. Those tiny usb wifi cards suck because the antenna is so small, and that also meant I was another USB port down. Finally, the plastic door to my hard-drive bay cracked so my hard-drive kept slipping out in my back-pack.

I ended up buying thermal paste on amazon (~$10), a new wifi chip on ebay (~$8), a new fan (~$5) and a new hard-drive door (~$6). It took me about 3 hours to take the laptop apart, and another two to put it back together. I re-pasted the CPU, replaced the fan (just to be safe... the old one worked fine), and installed the new wifi card. I had to completely disassemble twice after completely re-assembling it (god that sucked) first because the power-port wasn't aligned with the chassis and plug would not go into the laptop, and second because I didn't run the wifi antenna cables very well. I still need to buy and install a new thermal pad for the GPU - I didn't order one because I didn't expect to find one in there (thought it would be all paste). The current GPU thermal pad is cracked and aging.

Anyway, now my x201 is back together and working like a charm. Wifi signal is great, and it runs nice and cool (~40 degrees idle - it's still breaking in). Ran 20 cycles of IntelBurnTest on "High" and it passed with flying colors. I have all of my USB ports available, battery lasts longer. And the SSD doesn't slip out of the bay all the time. All in all, definitely worth the effort and minimal money! Here she is in all her ThinkPad glory.

https://www.newegg.com/abs-computer-technologies-mage-m-ala109/p/N82E16883102699

This is a pretty good deal it is currently on sale and is $200 off. As well you are roughly only paying a $75 builders fee and as well you get an included 3 months of Xbox game pass for pc so you wont have to be paying for games. As well it comes with a keyboard and mouse. As well as glorious rgb if your into that. :) I would pick this up if I was in the market. One thing it does need is a wireless network adapter if you need wireless. Either an external usb or internal pci. Since it sounds like you are too afraid to hold hardware so I would just buy external network adapter. This one has good reviews. (https://www.amazon.com/EDUP-ac600Mbps-Wireless-External-10-6-10-13/dp/B01CCMUN8C/ref=sr_1_19?crid=4BUW6GNKLDHQ&keywords=external+network+card+usb&qid=1566443084&s=gateway&sprefix=external+net%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-19)

Honestly couldn't tell you, but I'm also an advocate of USB wifi dongles, because you get to choose which wifi chipset you use, you get to take the dongle with you when you change your hardware and if reception is kinda shoddy you can use an USB extension cable to try and place it somewhere where reception is better. YMMV of course, but I'd take the USB dongle over the integrated card any day.

P.S. Had a little look around, the cheapest option I found was this:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157746&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566

Which is 60 dollars more than your board. It's got a much better chipset of course, which would allow overclocking if you were to upgrade your CPU, but it's definitely not ideal for your specific build.

If you want to go with a USB dongle instead, I can recommend the TP-Link TL-WN722N N150:
https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-N150-Wireless-Adapter-TL-WN722N/dp/B002SZEOLG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494790790&sr=8-1&keywords=TP-Link+TL-WN722N

It's about 13 USD and it works like a charm, I use it myself to provide a wireless access point for my mobile devices from my desktop.

It will probably be awhile before im done, just something i play with ever now and then. However Google is your friend. NESpi is a pretty common build. Also I'm an amateur when it comes to soldering lol

My final goal is to have it so it you can insert a nes cartridge with a usb in it and it will read games from this. Also working on getting an old laptop fan to run when it reaches certain temps to help cool it down.

I also tore apart a powered usb hub to power the pi and connect controllers. However I would find one better than mine. Get something with high voltage/amperage. I currently have to power the pi separately instead of through the hub.

Some links for you:



Intro:

https://github.com/retropie/retropie-setup/wiki/First-Installation


Switch I use to make so the NES power button works.

https://mausberry-circuits.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/shutdown-circuit-use-your-own-switch


Controllers
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N48L71I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_0QcmzbVPP292R

Wi-Fi
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003MTTJOY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_WUcmzbESCH58S

Then just any short usb and HDMI extensions.

Hope this helps!

Don't know why I didn't think of this before. Theoretically slower throughput than an internal card, but still should have enough to handle pretty much any modern wifi. I would recommend using the wire portion in addition to the stick to get it away from the pc a bit as USB3 and wifi can have interference. Should be fine if you plug the wire in and put the stick on your desk. Can def be more easily removed than an internal, then you can put it in a briefcase handcuffed to your best friends wrist when you don't need it.

In reality, you don't need most of it anymore. Serial port? Small USB-to-serial adapter, job done. Optical drive? Basically never need one, when you combine stuff like server iDRAC and IPMI with remote management, and OS installs can be done off USB sticks.

The one thing I do wish my Surface Pro had is an Ethernet port, but I've managed to work around that also (usb3 to gigabit adapter).

Battery life? Well, a HP Spectre X360 15 inch - what may well be the best laptop of 2016 in my book - will have all-day battery life, and 4 USB ports (one USB-C, 3 A), plus HDMI and DisplayPort.

Arguably, a 15 inch slim ultrabook like that and a serial port adapter and USB3 bluray will still be less to haul than some ugly old brick. And if you find yourself standing in a data center needing to operate it one handed, it flips into tablet mode with a touch screen.

https://www.amazon.com/VicTsing%C2%AE-playback-Blu-ray-External-desktops/dp/B014OSZF4Y

https://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-Converter-Prolific-Chipset-TU-S9/dp/B0007T27H8

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-SuperSpeed-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B00BBD7NFU - or better yet this, if you want more USB3 ports also: https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-SuperSpeed-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B01J6583NK

But, in answer to your actual question, no, I'm not aware of an old school brick with tons of ports that's worth buying. A few accessories you can keep in the bag until you need them makes more sense anyway - in my opinion.

Well, unless you go to rugged or semi-rugged designs. They have to be so bulky anyway that they toss in a ton of ports.

http://en.getac.com/notebooks/S410/features.html perhaps or machines of that style.

Dell also makes semi-rugged. Panasonic Toughbook etc. But all these rugged models cost a premium. Then again, if you get stuck in a snowdrift, you can use them as shovels, so... :)

Or else, you can go all out! :) http://en.getac.com/notebooks/X500-Server/features.html

Windows 8 is a fact of life in new laptops. It's not bad, really. You'll likely get a free upgrade to 9 when it launches anyways.

As mentioned previously, your requirements are not super intense. You could get an all around fantastic laptop out of the Dell XPS 15 which is one of those laptops that pretty much leaves you without compromise.

It has a quad-core i7-4702HQ, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Nvidia GT 750M graphics, and a great 15.6" 3200x1800 touch display. It weighs only 4.4lbs, is super thin at .7" thick, and can get ~8+ hours of battery life.

The only issue is that it doesn't have an ethernet port. It's easily remedied, though. Just get a USB to RJ-45 Adapter.

I used to have problems but changed my wifi and I can't remember the last time I disconnected.

I got an Ethernet adapter for ARMs which also eliminated my connection issues. I got this one
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MYT481C

Go with Ethernet if it's an option, even if your staring right at your access point while playing. This game has a zero tolerance policy. You only get like 2 game ticks before the room boots you. I don't blame the game for choosing to be less forgiving and more accurate. It encouraged me to make some changes and everyone I play with wins (emotionally) because of it.

Do you have an Android smart phone or tablet?
If so, DL the Wiggle wifi app.

With it running, you can walk around the property and better triangulate various signals.

If you have a macbook, you can do the same thing pretty much with Kismac. I use WiFiFoFum to do it with an iPhone, but it requires jailbreaking.

Subnet Insight is an absolutely amazing app for iPhone for taking keeping track of your local network and keeping it safe. It's $5, and the only non-free software I'm linking.

If you have an external wireless adapter, or are willing to spend $15-$30 on a specialized one, I can walk you through putting it in monitor mode and really getting the the bottom of the issue.

Here's a simple tp-link USB wifi adapter you can use to monitor all transmissions over B/G/N wifi, [for only $11 amazon prime.] (http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WN722N-Wireless-Adapter-External/dp/B002SZEOLG). Here's a very high quality (and foolproof) directional antenna you can use to make it much more effective for less than $30.


^Also ^a ^lot ^of ^the ^advice ^you've ^gotten ^so ^far ^is ^pretty ^badummmmm, ^or ^too ^complicated ^w/out ^better ^context.
But don't be discouraged. Network internals & also wifi/radio signals are complex topics, but the basics are accessible enough to pick up quickly in your situation.

That would most likely be triggered from having bad internet (on ur end) to test your speed go into settings> internet> test connection. The higher speed the better, but if you have lower then 7 down and 7 up It would probably mean this is happening on your end.
There's a couple different fixes.

1. If your a little bit tech savvy go into your routers settings and enable QoS with your switch
   
   
2. The easiest fix by far is using Ethernet only certain adapters work, here's the one I'm using
   
   
3. Switch internet service providers or upgrade to higher speed (if possible)
   
   Hope one of these ends up working, best of luck :)

pretty good but get a different network adapter and id personally recommended these changes

Network adapter: http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-WN822N-300MBPS-Wireless-Adapter/dp/B00416Q5KI/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1419014423&sr=1-2&keywords=wifi+adapter

PSU :http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Builder-Series-Modular-Certified/dp/B00ALYOTTI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419014385&sr=8-1&keywords=PSU

if you play rome 2 or other strategy sims that proc isnt the greatest, the gpu will outshine the cpu in certain games giving huge fps spikes from like 30 one moment to 60 the next

of course this is only select few games anything else is flawless bf4,skyrim etc

I agreed with /u/AdmiralHungryMan here, on optical drives. They're commoditized which means they're very much equivalent. Buy a reputable brand but there's no need to spend more unless it's to get a specific feature like BluRay support.

With WiFi cards, what's most important is the chipset inside it. You're going to want to read some reviews on them and do your best to pick one that works best overall. Avoid USB versions if at all possible; while convenient, not only do they typically have worse antennas but the USB adds more complexity to go wrong. I've had good luck with Asus' Broadcom based ones. This is what I use, currently, for clients who needs WiFi on a Desktop. Yeah, it's more money but you really want stability. If you can't get a wired connection to your system, this is my go-to card at the moment.

I prefer not to recommend, as what may work for someone may not work for you. WiFi is a very situational thing. But I'll give some more information:

First, find out if your router is running (802.11) AC or N or other (G/B?). AC is the most modern, N is still OK. Are you running a 5GHz network or a 2.4GHz network? Is the PC near the router, or a fair bit away? All this makes big differences to your choice of stuff.

If you do not think signal is going to be a problem (eg your phone is full signal in your room), a USB dongle is probably the most optimal starting solution. Preferably one that works fine on default Windows drivers, so you aren't installing unnecessary junk. One with a good cable to reposition as well.

If you think signal will be a bit weak, try the PCIe option. Reason is the antenna's are bigger and better, and if needs be they are replaceable with more suitable ones.

This little guy appears to mix the best of both worlds. However, I think you'd want a USB 3.0 extension wire according to the top comment...

I personally use a bridge. If you don't have reasonable network knowledge, don't go near one. Mine took a few hours over the course of a few weeks to fully stabilise and tweak. However, if you want a little challenge in the future, have a go. It'll be able to overcome most all issues people have with WiFi if you get it right.

Best no hassle solution. A powerline adapter and a pair of suitable length ethernet cables.

Realtek doesn't make the actual adapters just the chips that run them. Broadcom is another,theres Atheros which Qualcomm owns. Anyway they aren't bad chips. For instance this Asus Is using a broadcom chipset.

Anyway pretty much any PCIE adapter with antennae will probably do. Generally speaking ignore the "gaming" ones as it's the same thing just with some QOS and more software and extra money.

Most adapters that aren't "basic" are probably going to be more than what you need by a large amount. They're are, however, some "nice to haves" things like multiple antennae for both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz for "Beam forming" which works both ways to improve the signal. Or an ASIC for processing the data.

Anyway I spent some time looking and found the Rosewill n900 With an Atheros AR9380 It's bigger brothers have similar Atheros chipsets if you want to bump up to wireless AC, assuming your router supports it. Anyway Atheros are good chips, found pretty much everywhere but sometimes the implementation isn't so good. (Mostly labtops and not add-on cards) On the hardware side anyway. Make sure you have good drivers and any updates that come along should be checked.

Intel's little niche for wifi is little standalone chips that go into laptops for the most part. They do have adapters that you can use to place them into desktop computers but then your looking at the chipset plus adapter and you kind of have to know what your going for. I did find quite a few PCIE cards but most had older chipsets. And one good premade Has one less antennae but also has bluetooth and supports AC. Needs an empty USB slot on the motherboard to use bluetooth.

Asus makes some excellent PCI-E Wi-Fi cards. I have a PCE-AC56 and it has worked flawlessly for me for over two and a half years. It's well within your price range and it offers excellent performance. If you're looking for something a bit more powerful, the PCE-AC68 is basically the upgrade to the PCE-AC56, and I can only assume it performs slightly better. A final choice is to go balls to the wall overkill with the PCE-AC88, which I find hard recommending unless you need massive range and signal strength, which doesn't seem to be something you require. It's also out of your stated price range, so this one is entirely up to you. Any one of these should handily solve your problem. If you're looking for a good quality Wi-Fi solution that doesn't take advantage of your wallet like a prison bitch, the PCE-AC56 is a great choice.

When I was researching wifi in the past, I found that the receiver didn't really matter. What matters is the antenna your using. I'm not to hot on bandwidth limitations through usb 2.0/3.0/Pcie with wifi cards. I would assume usb 3 is better than 2 and pcie is the top dog. In your case I would assume they don't really make that much of a difference.

If you use the third one that you posted, and upgrade the antennas to a 9dBi antenna and screw those on instead of the antenna that came with the receiver, you will get a higher receiving range on your computer and a stronger connection. Not necessarily faster download speeds because, ya know, wifi. If you SOMEHOW are able to find the router, or eventually set up a repeater, you could buy another pair of those antennas and slap those puppies on, that may boost your range even more. At that point, if you're really concerned, you can try exchanging antennas until you get the best range for you and your computer. For now stick, with the Alfa wifi adapter and if you're not happy with your range, upgrade both antennas to the 9 dBi version. Those will definitely help you out. :)

I suggest doing a virus scan that's completely outside of Windows. That way any malware that might be there will have less chance to execute and interfere with the scan. It's also useful just as a second opinion.

1. Download Xubuntu or Lubuntu and follow their instructions ( Windows USB | Windows DVD | Mac USB | Mac DVD) to put it on a flash drive or DVD. Or you could use your preferred Linux distro, if you have one. Lubuntu is more lightweight, while Xubuntu has a nicer interface. The reason you may want to burn a DVD is that some computers are unable to boot from USB.
   
2. With her computer off, plug the drive in (so that Windows has no chance to modify the drive), and boot her computer from it. Choose the "Try without installing" option.
   
3. If you're not using Ethernet, connect to WiFi (probably the default password on the side or bottom of the router). If her WiFi card doesn't work out the box, use Ethernet (perhaps via Powerline Ethernet adapters) or a well-supported USB WiFi adapter.
   
4. Look in the app menu (similar to Windows start menu) for the package manager / software center / app store / whatever they call it.
   
5. Once there, search for ClamTk. ClamTk is a GUI for an antivirus program called ClamAV. If you prefer, you can use ClamAV from the Terminal, but you'd need to look up the commands yourself.
   
6. Open ClamTk, make sure it downloads the latest virus definitions, and then tell it to do a recursive scan of a directory: the top level of her hard drive.
   
7. Let it run. It may take a while to go through all the files.
   
8. If it finds anything, look through the list to check for false positives.
   
   When finished, click on the app menu (same one as step 3) and tell it to restart. When prompted, remove the flash drive / DVD and then press enter.
   
   These are NOT complete, step-by-step instructions. They're only enough to sort of convey the general idea, so some of these may require a little trial & error or Googling. If this is new to you, try it on your own machine first before doing it on hers. VirtualBox is a free program for using virtual machines, and you could use that for practice.
   
   Keep in mind that no work or settings will be saved while booted from the flash drive. Everything is kept in RAM unless you save to a disk. Linux doesn't get installed to her machine unless you deliberately run the installer program.

Were you able to connect before using macchanger? If not, it's not a Kali or macchanger thing, it's a visualization thing. VMs don't not have direct access to host hardware, the guest OS is separated from the host by a hypervisor.

If you already know this, I'm not trying to sound condescending. It's just a common question on here. I've gotten a bridged adapter to recognize my wifi as a wired connection before, but I can't remember how I did it. Maybe I am remembering incorrectly. Google around if you want, but it's infinitely easier to get a USB adapter or use a wired connection. I use this one:

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-N150-Wireless-Adapter-TL-WN722N/dp/B002SZEOLG

There are better ones out there and people on this sub will usually recommend a better one, can't remember which one. Anyway, you'll want one capable of packet injection.

If what you care about is picking up a weak wifi signal you are probably better off with an external USB wifi adapter with actual antennas. From my reading on these, these can make a huge actual difference, and transform a wonky connection to a rock solid one.

Something like this - this is just a cheap one, if you are focused on range, read reviews and get one with the best range. But key is, you want something with a big honking antenna on it.

There are also repeaters, although I think if you just have one device you need range on, you are better off the USB external adapter route.

There are also "pocket routers" like the HooToo TripMate that /u/age_of_bronze mentions, and I have on of these myself- a TP-LINK WR710N which from the look of it is pretty similar to the HooToo. These are great for setting up a private network or to share an internet connection that is limited to one device, and they may indeed provide a modicum of range extension, but if range, specifically, is your goal, you are better off with something with a significant antenna and probably a USB adapter.

I am not 100 percent sure about this, but if I were you, I would drop the internal wireless card and get this instead. I had an internal wireless card for a long time and have not noticed a performance difference after I "upgraded" to the usb wifi adapter. My interwebs were about 20 Mb/s and the pings on online games were the same before and after the swap(50ish ms). It may be that the USB adapter caps at some point, but i'm to lazy to do the research right now. The only real downside I see is that you would be effectively loosing a USB port. Saves you 30 ish bucks.

EDIT: Also, if you like to save money cause you are poor like me, you might want to consider downgrading your CPU if you plan on getting the 960. I have an i5 4460 with an r9 390 and I think it pairs really well (i.e. no bottleneck). If all we have to look at is the size of yellow bars, the i5 4460 and the i5 6500 appear to be roughly the same power according to this. So you might be able to save a little bit of money and get the same performance if you downgrade the CPU a bit. Keep in mind that upgrading later on might cost a bit more, because you will need to upgrade the CPU for a better card. Also keep in mind that I am not as knowledgeable about these things as others and it might very well be that the 960 and the i5 6500 are a match made in heaven.

Generally, PCI-E is much faster of an interface. However, Wifi speeds don't go nearly as fast as even the maximum speed of USB 2.0. So, speed-wise, it doesn't matter.

The USB one will be good for futureproofing your computer in case you later get a router with AC and 5GHz support. It's also nice in that you'll be able to preposition it to different USB slots for better signal.

For PCI-E, I would recommend this TP-Link one instead of the Rosewill:
https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-PCI-Express-Adapter-TL-WN881ND/dp/B0079XWMEI/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1483091328&sr=1-1&keywords=wireless+network+card&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_three_browse-bin%3A6011949011%2Cp_36%3A700-2500
It's from (in my opinion) a more reputable company; it seems like it's a current model from their website; and it's a buck cheaper and will probably ship faster. Otherwise pretty much the same as the Rosewill.

There is a third alternative I found:
https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-N300-Wireless-Adapter-TL-WN822N/dp/B00416Q5KI/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1483092749&sr=1-3&keywords=wireless+network+usb&refinements=p_36%3A1253503011%2Cp_72%3A1248879011%2Cp_89%3ATP-Link
This would be especially great for if you know you get a bad signal between your router and computer. You can connect it via USB and then stick the device up high somewhere for maximum signal. If you have a place to put the device and don't currently have or have plans to get an AC or 5GHz router, this is what I would get.

Never seen a Surface like device with an Ethernet port. I doubt one exists. They are mobile devices so an Ethernet port is counter to it's primary function.

>absolute best (reliable & smallest) usb adapter for Ethernet?

Hard to say... reviews are scarce. There's this from 2013:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2415501,00.asp
Still a good choice and there are interesting options...
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-Gigabit-Ethernet-Network-Adapter/dp/B0095EFXMC/. 476 reviews 4.5 of 5

This from 2016 ... but 10/100??? Not fastest.
http://www.wirelesshack.org/our-picks-for-best-usb-to-ethernet-adapter.html
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Ethernet-Network-Adapter/dp/B00ET4KHJ2/ 804 reviews 4.3 of 5


Amazon popularity contest and products I have had good luck with
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-SuperSpeed-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B00BBD7NFU/ 807 reviews 4.2 of 5

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PC0H9IE/ref=psdc_13983791_t3_B0095EFXMC 584 reviews 4.7 of 5

https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Gigabit-Ethernet-Network-Adapter/dp/B00AQM8586/. 767 reviews 4.5 of 5


So maybe the Anker model however... would you want fries ports with that?

Technically yes but the best ones to get are the USB 3.0 Adapters. If you look on the inside of your Switch Dock you will notice one of the two USB Ports is Blue. The blue indicates USB 3.0. Here’s a link to the exact one I have. I’ve had it for about 6 months and it works wonderfully. There are a few other 3.0’s to choose from that I’m sure all work just as well.

+1 for PCI

I game and have never had problems connecting unless it was ISP side (boo comcast). I also stream Netflix and Amazon without any signal issues.

I use [this PCI-E adapter] (http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WN881ND-Wireless-Express-Low-profile/dp/B0079XWMEI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1405104552&sr=8-2&keywords=tp-link+pci+wifi) with good results. They also make regular [PCI] (http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WN751ND-Wireless-Adapter-Low-profile/dp/B005FUGPP4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1405104552&sr=8-4&keywords=tp-link+pci+wifi) depending on what you have available. I'm sure the Rosewill one is quite good too.

I also picked up something similar to [this] (http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-ANT2405C-Desktop-Omni-directional-Antenna/dp/B001VEAI74/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1405104686&sr=8-11&keywords=tp-link+antenna) to help with my signal, since my room is quite far from my router. It will give you some flexibility on your antenna placement, and gave me a huge boost in signal.

For your purposes either would probably work but I prefer having the cleaner look of a PCI card and I'm under the assumption that there is better power/bandwith going through PCI. If you do go with USB, I suggest something like [this] (http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WN722N-Wireless-Adapter-External/dp/B002SZEOLG/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1405104921&sr=8-14&keywords=usb+wifi) where you can add on an optional antenna if you have signal issues.

Parts List:

Power Adapter

Raspberry Pi

USB Super Nintendo Controller (This is the best one I have found so far)

HDMI Cable

WiFi Dongle

Other Items you will need:

USB Keyboard

Monitor or TV with HDMI Support




Now you dont have to use these parts exactly, there are plenty of other parts you can use. I am pretty sure that you can play Roms up to Playstation 1.



There is also a new Raspberry Pi 3 that is compatible with the RetroPie software which has WiFi and Bluetooth integrated into the board.

Helpful Video's to tackle technical issues with your RetroPie:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtht1mv6ty8xMBwgHX9RCkplqeSRxyHiC


Edit:

Almost forgot!


Here is the Case I found on Etsy. There are plenty of other sellers but this guy was great!

> http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/raspberry-pi-board-and-starter-kit-r45pi
That's quite pricey for the stuff you get:

• Raspberry PI Model B
£24.10

• 4 GB SD Card (Pre-loaded with the latest pre-approved OS)
£4.99 - not preloaded, but seriously, who cares, that's half the fun.

• Mains Powered 4 Port USB Hub (Increases the number of available ports to 5)
£10 (for a 7 port one) http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Pi-Hut-Powered-Raspberry/dp/B00B0ZOCPS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1404229572&sr=1-1&keywords=powered+hub


• N150 Wi-Fi USB Nano Dongle
£7.30 for EDIMAX that works well (amazon)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Edimax-EW-7811UN-150Mbps-Wireless-Adapter/dp/B003MTTJOY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1404229616&sr=1-1&keywords=edimax+wifi

• USB Keyboard
• USB Optical 3-Button Scroll Mouse

£9 for a very very low end mouse/kbd combo on amazon (maplin will be giving you low-end)

• 1.5 m USB A to Micro B Cable with Gold-Plated Connectors

£0.63 (amazon)

• 1.5 m HDMI A to HDMI A Cable with Gold-Plated Connectors (To connect your Raspberry Pi to your HD
TV/Monitor)
£1.19


A total of £57.22 if you source all this from amazon.
probably qualifies for free delivery too with all that.

I don't own a Companion 2, so I can't say for sure, but I do own a companion 1 & wifi has always been super unreliable for me. I tried drivers for win 8, 8.1 & now 10 & it never wants to stay connected or connect at all. I finally broke down & bought a usb wifi adapter & it's been working perfectly ever since.

This is the one I bought back in 2015, they probably have nicer ones now:
https://amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-Adapter-Raspberry-TL-WN823N/dp/B0088TKTY2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1484011701&sr=8-3&keywords=wifi+usb+tp+link

I use a part that boosts the wi-fi signal to my computer. I may have mentioned it in a previous post, but this TP-Link can take me from barely one bar to full bars for signal strength. Extremely helpful. Pretty inexpensive for what it does for me. At one job I was getting nothing until I plugged it in.
http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Wireless-Adapter-Support-TL-WN822N/dp/B00416Q5KI/ref=sr_1_30?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1459316296&sr=1-30&keywords=tp-link

It might help in your travels.

You might want to try opening the AppImage in the terminal instead to see what the output is, like ./program.AppImage.

Anyway, Tails comes with non-free firmware so that it works on as much hardware as possible out of the box. I always encourage people to use free (as in freedom) software when possible, but your Wi-Fi adapter will do fine.

Still, if you think you want to change your order, here is the adapter that I use and recommend. It is able to function with free software and firmware on nearly all modern GNU/Linux systems and comes with a small antenna too. (Mine also came with a USB extension cable, a nice touch.)

I would have chosen this one . Compare them and see which one you like.

Also, this card looks pretty good if you don't mind the money. I don't have a first had experience with it like I do with the rosewill.

If you want one that works almost as well but slower consider this one. Once again I'm only suggesting these from reviews/stats. Hope I helped you, and good luck with your build.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/D8jVNQ

Good Value Pc with all of the components that you'd need to build the Pc and run it including a copy of Windows( except maybe a Wifi adapter if you wanted to ue the internet and didnt have ethernet , link here if you did need to purchase one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UZRVY12/?tag=pcpapi-20 )

​

If you need help with the build, guides like these https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhX0fOUYd8Q are excellent , however if you do have any problems during the build , reddit will be more than happy to help

From a quick look at that picture and a little googling, looks like there is no internal WiFi. So I'm going to guess you are using a USB WiFi adapter.

The PCI slots in that computer are half height, or "low profile", so that will limit what you could put inside the case. A quick search on Amazon shows a few low profile WiFi 6 adapters, but they are from companies I've never heard of.

Unlike 802.11ac, most of the enhancements in WiFi 6 require support in both the access point and the client, so unless you are upgrading your router at the same time I wouldn't bother. It's probably a good idea to wait on WiFi 6 until the 802.11ax draft is approved by IEEE, which should be a only a couple more months plus a bit of time for products to be certified and make it into the supply chain.

My recommendation is to get a 802.11ac 2x2 USB adapter. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Alfa-Long-Range-Dual-Band-Wireless-External/dp/B00MX57AO4/

The little stand it comes with let's you put the antennas higher up and away from the sheet metal in the computer, both of which will improve signal quality.

Was your previous adapter also USB?

Since your phone is fine but your desktop obviously isn't, I'd try getting a PCI-e card if your motherboard has a slot available. Something like this, there are cheaper ones and more expensive ones as well. Those function better being directly connected to the motherboard and they have multiple external antennae.

I've had good luck and bad luck with USB WiFi adapters and it seemed to just come down to the individual USB stick.

I've used the TP-link Wireless Adapter before and it's been pretty reliable and cheap. Lasted me through two different builds before I decided to upgrade. I linked the usb version but they have a PCIe version as well.

If you have a nicer router with features like dual band, AC, etc. then consider saving up for a nicer high end wireless adapter to take advantage of higher speeds. I'm currently using the Asus USB N53 and it's been reliable too.

Did you set it as the default connection in wiiu settings?

Other ideas:

• It's unlikely, but make sure you don't have mac address filtering enabled on the router. That would have prevented WPS from working, though.
  
• Do your 2.4 and 5ghz networks have the same name? Some devices don't like that, but I'm pretty sure the wiiu only has 2.4 anyway.
  
• If you can't get it working, I highly recommend just picking up one of these and connecting by ethernet because it'll work way better than 2.4ghz wifi anyway.

As long as it's a Gigabit adapter, they're honestly all the same speed. I bought the Plugable because it was recommended by lots of others, has great reviews for Switch use, it's affordable, AND it's USB 3.0 compatible. Works perfectly btw, perfect size for the side plate.

The Hori/Nintendo one is more expensive (more than double the price) and doesn't have 3.0 capabilities. Now that doesn't matter right now, but people believe that the Switch console is also 3.0 capable, they just haven't provided an update to "activate" it. If they ever do, and there's any speed increase to be seen, you won't get it with a 2.0 adapter like the Hori/Nintendo.

Basically nothing of this will fit into the second case. The mainboard for example is ATX, and in that size finding a X470 board is not an issue. Are you dropping the idea of later moving to the small case?

Things I'd change in the S340:

• The G3 has issues with the fan curve, I'd get the Seasonic Focus Gold or the Corsair RMx instead.
  
• The Hyper 212 is not a great cpu cooler, I'd get the Dark Rock 3, Scythe Fuma or something similar, at least a Cryorig H7.
  
  > If I want to wirelessly connect it what’s the best option?
  
  In the small case, the ITX mainboard will have wifi included, and that is really the best option here. Your only alternative would be a Wifi USB-stick. For a regular ATX board you can get a wifi card like https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Wi-Fi-Express-Adapter-PCE-AC56/dp/B00JNA337K. But if you are not moving the PC around anyway try to use an ethernet cable.
  
  > Also if I have the budget should I put more into the keyboard or different monitor.
  
  I'd get a different monitor then, something like this Agon up to a Gsync monitor like the ASUS PG279Q

It looks like the cheapest board with wifi is a mini-itx for $99 or +$60.

I'd probably just buy a PCIe adapter because I don't like USB things hanging off the back.

The biggest decision you'll have to make is if you want to splurge for an 802.11ac compatible wireless adapter. It's much faster, but also would bump your cost up from $20-$40 all the way to $80-$100.

For just internet browsing, 802.11n is PLENTY. You'd really only see the speed advantages of 802.11ac if you were copying files to a NAS on the network/etc. Keep in mind your router would also have to support ac.

For 802.11n, this one looks pretty popular, and is used in hackintosh builds for compatibility:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704133

For 802.11ac, maybe this one?

Asus 802.11ac router

> Development has to start somewhere. If everyone shared your “verdict” no one would create drivers for this stuff.

IMHO it's the opposite. Development is stalled because everyone is afraid to say that "the king is naked".

OpenBSDs seems to have a cultural tendency to bash away all criticism: "you don't need that (ex), you're not using the right laptop, etc" - it's your own fault it doesn't work. That definitely discourages contributions, at least from me.

OpenBSD has been bragging about laptop support - that they're "dogfooding" by actually running it on their laptops, while FreeBSD is apple fanboys who use virtualization. Of course you need the right laptop, a Thinkpad, otherwise you're a cheap idiot. And, as this (for some reason popular) article shows, it still can't be a new Thinkpad, and you need to replace the wireless card... And if you dare post performance and battery life benchmarks, oh boy...

Thus OpenBSD's growing reputation for being a circle-jerk. Self-deception is not a virtue!

In the meantime, Linux now works perfectly on every laptop I try it on, even closing the performance / battery life gap with Windows, so even a diehard license zealot like me can no longer use BSD...

> Through the glory of people who work on making things better instead of complaining about them on the internet, there is a diff that fixes the audio issues!

Good.

> OpenBSD has no bluetooth stack.

Yeah, that'll persuade more people to use OpenBSD on laptop and mobile devices... /s

> Who ever said anything about a dongle??

The whole point of having a laptop is mobility. More and more people work from WiFi (or cellular connections via mobile hotspot) in places where an Ethernet cable isn't available: bus, taxi, hotel, park, coffee shop, etc.

If the WiFi card isn't supported by the OS, a dongle is your least bad option. And I found that a tiny dongle performs very poorly, you need a big one with an antenna - one more thing you have to carry around with you.

> dmesg was sent to the locations I care about. If you want, feel free to send it to where ever you want it to go.

Good. But every dmesg doesn't warrant a cross-posted article with this many upvotes, especially when it's not actually news and not good. Thus my grumpy response.

> What hardware doesn’t come from China?

There are degrees of hardware security and freedom, as with software. Lenovo has been caught with many deceptive practices, and so it scores very low on that security and freedom scale. (And additional point deductions if you're forced to buy it with Windows.) OpenBSD scores highly, but the fact that it focuses on Lenovo hardware is a big minus. In the meantime, System76 scores better by moving in the right direction: bringing assembly to the Colorado and inching closer to open hardware.

For LAN-adapters, I currently have the AmazonBasics one, but I would like one that is long enough so the USB-side fits inside the dock cover, and the ethernet side can extend past it and not get stuck. The AmazonBasics one is too short, and as such, I haven't been using a cover lately, which I'd like to remedy. Could anyone recommend one in the $10-15 range? Would this one, recommended by the guides at the top be long enough?

(for the record, I have someone I'm giving my AmazonBasics one to for something non-Switch related)

The CPU cooler is very pricey. Unless you want to be doing some serious overclocking or running really low temps, then you can save quite a bit on a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus or Evo.

Similarly with the PSU. Are you sure you want a modular PSU (i.e. you only plug in the cables you need.) If not, then something like this is cheaper and offers plenty of overhead for future crossfiring.

You will need to buy a PCI wireless card, you could get a USB one, but they're not as good. They're very cheap though.

P.S. I just bought that video card from dabs.com and although it hasn't arrived yet so I can't comment on the card itself, you can get it for £210 with the code SEPT10 and you also get a couple of free games, which makes it pretty good value for money.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/VKQzbX

First of all, the 3600 (and pretty much all of the Zen2 cpu lineup) isn't a very overclockable chip, as it's already pushed pretty hard out of the box. Because of this, an upgraded cooler is rather unhelpful in overall performance. The motherboard was also a bit overkill, so I switched it to a good quality B450 board, which should be plenty for the 3600. It doesn't have WiFi capabilities built in, but you can get a cheap WiFi adaptor from Amazon (like this one https://www.amazon.com/EDUP-ac600Mbps-Wireless-External-10-6-10-13/dp/B01CCMUN8C/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3GXD2I0GBLHR0&keywords=computer+wifi+adapter&qid=1564539704&s=gateway&sprefix=computer+wifi%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-3) for cheaper than an upgrade to a board with WiFi. I also changed the RAM to a cheaper, higher frequency (3200mhz) kit. The gpu was changed to a 5700 XT, as it's much cheaper then a 2070 Super and competes and often surpasses it in performance (see https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-RTX-2070-Super-vs-AMD-RX-5700-XT/4048vs4045) , though you may want to wait a few weeks until non-blower cards come out. If you want to get closer to the $1300 USD limit, you could always go with something like this: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/fpbCmG/evga-geforce-rtx-2080-super-8-gb-black-gaming-video-card-08g-p4-3081-kr

Edit: Turns out a lot of people are having a lot of issues with the Tomahawk, so I'd recommend changing it to this: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Pq97YJ/asrock-fatal1ty-b450-gaming-k4-atx-am4-motherboard-b450-gaming-k4

Optiplex (i5-2400/4gb ram/ 250gb hdd psu/ OS) 85

• https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Optiplex-990-MT-PC-Quad-Core-i5-2400-3-10GHz-4GB-RAM-250GB-HDD-Win-7-Pro/372475062332?hash=item56b93e683c%3Ag%3AfsoAAOSwgVBbyegR&LH_BIN=1
  
  4gb ram - 12
  
  
• https://www.ebay.com/itm/Micron-4GB-1Rx8-PC3-12800U-DDR3-1600MHz-Desktop-PC-Memory-RAM-computer-dell-hp/173596172714?hash=item286b2361aa%3Ag%3AuWAAAOSwB9FbyTSJ&LH_BIN=1
  
  
  Gpu: Rx 460 2gb - 50
  
  
• https://www.ebay.com/itm/SAPPHIRE-Radeon-RX-460-DirectX-12-11257-10CPO-2GB-128-Bit-GDDR5-CrossFireX/263998376730?epid=20024740734&hash=item3d77878b1a%3Ag%3AsMMAAOSw-eJbysmd&LH_BIN=1
  
  
  Total -150
  
  .
  
  .
  
  
  Extras (non essential):
  
  
• thermal paste to replace CPU paste.and GPU paste. :)
  
  
• mx4 is good, relatively cheap, non conductive and will last quite a while. 8.5 :) https://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-MX-4-Compound-Performance-Interface/dp/B0045JCFLY/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1540018610&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=thermal+paste&dpPl=1&dpID=31cQ7xWo6aL&ref=plSrch
  
  
• I'd upgrade to SSD at some point. (240gb ssds can be found for like 35-40 on r/buildapcsales occasionally)
  
  
• adata 655 240gb - 38 https://www.amazon.com/ADATA-SU655-Internal-ASU655SS-240GT-C-Version/dp/B07DNK59SG/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1540017936&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=adata+240gb&dpPl=1&dpID=41rHM8vNLuL&ref=plSrch
  
  
• A USB wifi adapter is like 10-15 on Amazon
  
  
• (this one is 16 but has good reviews) :) https://www.amazon.com/EDUP-ac600Mbps-Wireless-External-10-6-10-13/dp/B01CCMUN8C/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1540018010&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=usb+wifi+adapter&dpPl=1&dpID=41alBdpBIEL&ref=plSrch

If all you're looking for is an internet connection but can't run a cable across the house a Powerline adapter works pretty well, as long as they're on the same circuit.

I have these: TP-Link AV200 Nano Powerline Adapter Starter Kit, up to 200Mbps (TL-PA2010KIT) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWRUIY4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_WHrGzbAM87XEE

Alternatively, a cheap USB adapter would be nice, I have used this one before: Edimax EW-7811Un 150Mbps 11n Wi-Fi USB Adapter, Nano Size Lets You Plug it and Forget it, Ideal for Raspberry Pi / Pi2, Supports Windows, Mac OS, Linux (Black/Gold) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003MTTJOY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_OJrGzbXJTB3PB



Ps sorry about the links, I'm on mobile...

As ePaperWeight mentioned, your shopping list would have a lot to do with what you plan on doing with it.

Keep in mind that the Pi Zero is very cheap partly because it does not have nearly as many ports as a full size Pi. It also has a less capable CPU than a full Pi 3. That being said, it's still impressive that its CPU and RAM are in line with older Pis that were used in all sorts of projects.

The lack of ports means that if you want to connect to USB, HDMI, Ethernet, or Wifi you will need adapters.

For the bare minimum for getting started I would suggest the items included in this kit (not necessarily suggesting the kit itself, these are all standard parts):
https://www.amazon.com/CanaKit-Raspberry-Zero-Starter-Kit/dp/B01N3XNPAM/ref=sr_1_1

• MicroSD Card (needed to install Raspbian or another OS)
  
• Power Supply (any 5v supply with micro USB aka phone charger)
  
• OTG (On The Go) cable for connecting a full size USB device
  
• Mini HDMI to standard HDMI adapter
  
  This will allow you to get a Zero to boot up and display on a monitor. The single USB port will limit what you can connect, but a wireless keyboard / mouse dongle will at least give you standard input devices.
  
  In order to connect Wifi or Ethernet in addition to a keyboard you will need a USB hub; preferably a powered hub.
  
  To connect a Pi Camera you'll not only need the camera module, but an adapter ribbon cable (the Zero's port is slightly smaller).
  
  The GPIO header does not include pins. This is more configurable, but means that you'll need to solder your own.
  
  As you can see, all this can quickly add up. The Pi Zero really highlights the value of a full Pi. So if you're considering the Zero in order to save money run the numbers. You might not be saving much.
  
  The size and lower power requirements of the Zero make it great for embedded projects. Anything that runs on a battery or needs to fit in a small case would benefit from using a Zero. Even then, the faster speed of a Pi 3 means that it will be a smoother experience to program on the 3 even if you plan to migrate the software to the Zero.
  
  Other links for reference:
  
  
• Pi Camera Module - https://www.amazon.com/Raspberry-Pi-Camera-Module-Megapixel/dp/B01ER2SKFS/ref=sr_1_1
  
• Pi Zero Camera adapter cable - https://www.amazon.com/SainSmart-v1-3-Camera-Cable-Raspberry/dp/B01LGUJTDG/ref=sr_1_4
  
• GPIO Header Pins - https://www.amazon.com/15Pcs-2-54-Single-11MM-Header/dp/B00FR19WQA/ref=sr_1_2
  
• Ethernet Adapter - https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Ethernet-Network-Adapter/dp/B00ET4KHJ2/ref=sr_1_4
  
• USB Hub - https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-4-Port-Individual-Switches-HB-UMLS/dp/B00BWF5U0M/ref=sr_1_14
  
• Wifi Dongle - https://www.amazon.com/Edimax-EW-7811Un-150Mbps-Raspberry-Supports/dp/B003MTTJOY/ref=sr_1_3
  
• Absolute insanity down the rabbit hole - https://www.amazon.com/Adeept-Ultimate-Starter-Learning-Raspberry/dp/B01FLSF4PQ/ref=sr_1_9
  
  TLDR; Pick a project and work backwards to figure out a shopping list. Otherwise you'll spend way too much or your new Zero will probably live in a desk drawer.
  
  
  

Sure, the end goal here is to have the light board trigger cues for lights, sound, and projection. This way we can have things change simultaneously. Any programming for a show will happen on the respective consoles, but the "go" buttons(and some other basic things) would effectively all be tied to the master "go" button on the lighting console.

As it sits, we should be able to do everything and have it work with fairly minimal latency, but I don't really like that we would have to use shownet nodes to convert the DMX outs on the console to shownet, as I can really only get 1 universe (2 if I put a shownet node after my dmx keyboard emulator). I would really prefer to have two Ethernet(RJ-45) outs, one for shownet, and one for artnet. The only way to get the hardware needed to buy something like this. The base OS for the console is XP but I don't know whether the Palette OS application supports dual Ethernet outputs. Here is a poorly drawn diagram of the setup

First, I would want to check to see what the speed of the wifi connection is inside the student housing. That card seems to me to be way overdoing it. I would recommend something more like this, especially if you're going to primarily using public wifi.

https://www.amazon.com.au/ASUS-Dual-Band-Wireless-AC1900-Adapter-PCE-AC68/dp/B00F42V83C/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=ASUS+PCE-AC68+AC1900&qid=1574946302&sr=8-2

Then again, the first one isn't that much more, and it would be a lot more future proof for down the road.

And you can definitely use a PCIe riser, just be sure not to cheap out on it, and try to get by with as short a one as possible. ThermalTake is usually pretty good

https://www.amazon.com.au/Thermaltake-Gaming-Black-Extender-AC-053-CN1OTN-C1/dp/B06Y5YNGDJ/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=pcie+riser&qid=1574946555&sr=8-6

Some devices of the same class work better than others. A N300 adapter should be able to max out at around 30MB per second, which is plenty and probably higher than your internet bandwidth. If you transfer large files on a local network an AC wifi adaptor might be better.
I don't know any good Linux compatible ones off hand, but this N300 one might have better range.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JDVRCI0?m=A1K5RDMQ6V4659

Anyways good luck.

EDIT: I just followed your links, sounds like you are already looking at USB adapters and not internal cards. Sorry.

I like these: http://www.amazon.com/Edimax-EW-7811Un-150Mbps-Raspberry-Supports/dp/B003MTTJOY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419545144&sr=8-1&keywords=usb+wifi

Better make sure that model doesn't use a hardware whitelist for the WiFi/BT card. I'm pretty sure it does.

If so, you will need to either modify the BIOS (risky) or modify the firmware on your new wireless card (also risky).

I'd recommend a tiny USB wireless adapter.

The best solution for using WiFi on your desktop would probably be to get a PCI wireless card, like this one.

If you aren't comfortable adding a PCI card, or don't have any space for one, you can get a USB wireless adapter, such as this one.

Finally, if you want a better solution that's not running a long cable, buy power line adapters. You plug one into a socket near the router and connect it via Ethernet to the router, then you plug another one in beside your PC and run Ethernet from it to your PC. It uses the wiring in the house to carry data, and is often better than WiFi.

Personally, I would go with the power line adapters then the PCI wireless card.

I've got one of these Edimax mini USB Wifi's and it works real good. It is showing < $10 and if you look at the "Other Sellers on Amazon" to the right, you will see several listed for < $10 with free shipping. This little guy works great. His antenna is obviously small, so the range isn't ideal for all situations. I personally was quite surprised at the range and never noticed the lack of a full antenna in my use of it. Your perspective may vary.

This other product has an actual antenna and is ~$5 with free shipping all day long. I can't attest to its quality though.

Either one, on one of the many cheap similar "mini USB wifi" adapters, should get you by for awhile, if nothing else.

In theory, a high gain antenna talking to a normal access point will increase the range substantially. High gain antennas on both ends obviously are better. A repeater could be used if a reasonable place to put one and a reasonable source of power are both available, but where I'm sitting I can get the faintest bit of wifi on cool calm nights so I'm expecting a better antenna to solidify that connectivity.

I just ordered this so I'll konw in a few days how well it works with the stock antennas, if I can avoid buying directional antennas that would be super.

Correct, a more sensitive receiver will pick up those fainter signals from further away. The issue is that the higher dBi gain an antenna is rated for, the higher directionality it is. The problem with getting too directional is that the cone of signal it is looking at could move around too much while on a boat. Tide, boat wake, people shifting on boat, etc, could all move the cone away from the area the access point is. You could try the parabolic reflector antennas, but you would select a dBi gain based on what the current antenna is. For example, if the antenna in your device is 2dBi (pretty common), look for a 9dBi directional antenna.

Alfa networks make powerful usb wifi adapters that include decent omnidirecitonal antennas, and this one here even has a good directional antenna included as well.

Couple of options:

• To mooch wifi from free hotspots / friends, you can do that with a regular laptop / phone. To boost your range, you'll most likely want a wifi booster of some kind. Traditional wifi boosters would look like: Big wifi antenna -> black box -> smaller wifi antenna inside the van -> your laptop/phone
  
• A cheaper version of a booster is to "make" one. Get a Yagi wifi antenna + a wifi adapter then connect the adapter to your laptop via USB. It's a bit more involved to do this for your phone. Just remember you have to point the antenna to the wifi source to get the best signal
  
• Get a 3G/4G/Mifi box which will connect to a cellular network and output a wifi hotspot you can connect to. If the signal is sparse, you can try getting a 3G Yagi antenna and plugging it into the 3g box though I'm less sure about that and am currently looking into it myself since those boxes typically have two antennas (one for receiving and one for transmitting I believe)
  
• Tether your phone to your laptop and get 3G/4G internet that way

Laptops are nice because everything is wrapped up into one thing, so you don't need to buy everything (monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc). Unfortunately they just don't offer the same performance and reliability as a desktop does.

Do you have a desk to use for this? I think I have a decent computer picked out, but if your budget needs to factor in a desk we're in trouble. The desktop is on Newegg, but the rest is Amazon so you will be able to use your card.

Realistically I would expect this desktop to last 2-3 years until you might want to change something. This is the nice thing about desktops, you can generally add/change parts as you go instead of buying an entirely new computer. I wouldn't say you're expecting too much, but realize this computer is on the lower end but capable. You should be able to do everything you've listed to some degree. Some things (like editing video) may go slow because it does have a budget processor.

Here's the links to the parts so far. We can tweak things as needed.

Computer Adapter Monitor Speakers = ~$435

A note on the speakers, you may be able to get even cheaper ones (if you even need them), though usually cheaper speakers have a "buzzing noise." However, Amazon has these and the reviews seem great.

Another note, you could save $10 on the adapter too, since it seems you won't be needing a great connection. That is up to you though. Here's a cheaper one.

You know what, that's an excellent point. I'm thinking I might free up my M1 B+ now. Are there any particular adapter brands that you recommend for solid performance? (It seems the one you linked is out of stock currently.)

Edit: Seems like this is the most popular option currently. Any personal experience with it?

It really depends on where you are. In NJ it's just fine as long as you have a LAN adapter. I've played people in most of the east coast, and it's been fine except for a few hiccups.

I highly recommend getting a USB 3.0 LAN adapter. The one I have tops out at 100Mbps, and is noticeably faster with pretty much everything than the USB 2.0 version I used for the Wii U. Do be careful though as only certain ones will work.

Wow, i feel like we are issue twins :D * excuse the humor *

I had exactly similer issue 6 monthes ago wifi was highly capped on my laptob at around 4 - 7 mb/s while my other devices are 40 - 50 mb/s

anyhow for me at least it was internal card issue maybe weaken over time or something,

another reason for you maybe that your intenal card is forced to use 802.1g/b please check next time you in hotel which gives you terrible bandwidth options ( go to task mamanger - > Performance tab - > wifi -> look for connection type ) .

MY SOLUTION :

i bought 2 cheap USB adapters : TP link's Wn722n and Wn823n each 24 $ or something

and Ta da, my speed was up to roof back to normal range of other devices (using the antenna based wn722n right now), i dont really suggest it unless u dont mind the size but overall i had better range with it than with wn823n, please hence both are single band 2.4 .
Links :

wn823n : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088TKTY2/

wn722n : https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-TL-WN722N-Wireless-network-Adapter/dp/B002SZEOLG

if money aint a big issue i still suggest the Alfa dual long range because its state of art and long term usage friendly and when you get bored of it easy sell used .

Sure, It has two modes:

• Screen Mirroring. What's on the screen is on the TV.
  
  
• Video Casting. Sends the video link to the Chromecast while freeing up the phone for other duties. (ie... Watch a video on TV and surf /r/nexus6 on the phone at the same time.)
  
  It's way better then using an HDMI cable and no wireless infrastructure is needed. Just a phone or computer and a TV with a Chromecast plugged in.
  
  Now if you want your mind blown? You can also plug a Chromecast into an Ethernet cable with:
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Micro-B-Ethernet-Raspberry-AX88772A/dp/B00RM3KXAU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452045205&sr=8-1&keywords=chromecast+ethernet+adapter
  
  Or a monitor or stereo system with:
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Compatible-Chromecast-Chromebooks-B2B137-BLK/dp/B00Z4TQ64Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1452045205&sr=8-3&keywords=chromecast+ethernet+adapter
  
  It works well with games too. There is one caveat though. It's best used with a TV that supports 1080p,

No, you don't need a separate CPU cooler, the included stock cooler will work fine. However, it will provide a very tangible boost in CPU performance and longevity. I highly recommend it if you have the money to spare, and it's absolutely necessary if you want to overclock.

With that in mind, I don't think you should buy one for this build. It's probably worth it to spend more money on your GPU instead. Here's what I recommend:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard | $109.99 @ NCIX US
Memory | Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $77.98 @ OutletPC
Storage | PNY XLR8 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $109.99 @ Amazon
Video Card | XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card | $259.99 @ Newegg
Case | BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case | $34.99 @ NCIX US
Power Supply | Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | $44.99 @ Newegg
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $637.93
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-25 13:24 EDT-0400 |

+ this wifi adapter: http://amzn.com/B0088TKTY2

For a total of $653.93!

Breakdown:

The 990FX chipset provides great USB3 speeds, and will allow you to overclock if you get an aftermarket cooler later.

I prefer a single-channel 8GB stick to two dual-channel 4GB's, because, even though it's marginally slower, it depreciates MUCH more slowly, and allows for more future upgradibility.

The XLR8 is slightly cheaper than the 840 EVO you suggested, and about the same speed.

The 280X is a beast GPU. It should definitely be able to run CS:GO at 144fps.

The case is not the best, but it still looks great (IMO). Shouldn't give you any problems.

This PSU doesn't leave you much room to upgrade in the future. However, it is dirt cheap and semi-modular. Yay!

Let me know if you have any questions!

I don't know what Pi kit you're getting, but make sure that the charger is giving it the proper juice. You may also want a powered USB hub for peripherals such as a mouse, keyboard, etc. A small WiFi adapter and camera module can also come in handy.

I really like my Leatherman Squirt. It fits on the keychain that I carry every day. I also want to add this small flashlight. If you're into DIY, you might find Instamorph useful.

Sorry for the late response Devinmaking, I looked over that motherboard, and as far as I can tell, it should run Linux without issue. It has an older audio codec (Realtek ALC887), so any recent kernel will support it. It also has an Intel LAN chip, which are known for having excellent support in Linux.

As for Wifi, most any Intel or Atheros based card will work without issue. However some Realtek and Broadcom based Wifi cards can a hassle to set up, or not be supported at all.

AFAIK, both the TP-Link TL-WN722N and Panda 300Mbps Wireless N USB Adapter are supported by most distros.

As for using a spare router as a repeater, I haven't ever done that myself, but I think you'll have to make sure the spare router is as fast as your other equipment, otherwise it will limit the speed by being the weakest link in the chain. So for instance if it's only a Wireless G router, and your other equipment is faster Wireless N stuff, you'll only run at the slower G speeds. If your internet connection is slower than the rated Wireless G speeds anyway, then none of that matters. :)

Anyway, hope that helps. \^_^

I'm not going to say this will totally work for you because I don't know all the factors that made this work for me but here is what I did. (my switch was also too far away to run a cable to). I bought this https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Powerline-Pass-Through-TL-PA4020P-KIT/dp/B010Q29OW6/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1509712689&sr=8-8&keywords=ethernet+powerline+adapter and this https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Ethernet-Adapter-Nintendo-Chromebook/dp/B00MYT481C/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1509712641&sr=8-5&keywords=switch+ethernet+adapter&dpID=41xJwvUzySL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

The powerline adapter was easy to set up and in my house the outlets they are in are on different breakers and that seems fine. After setting them up, plugging in the switch, and setting it to run on wired not wi-fi there's one more thing I did. In a connection test I saw my nat type was B also, everyone said that wasn't great and it should be A for best performance so after lots of googling I figured out how to change that in my router settings.

For me I have comcast so to get to my router settings I type 10.0.0.1 into my address bar and enter the default username and password for comcast (admin ; password) then on the left there is and advanced tab and under that DMZ. Enable that and for the host set the switch's ip witch you can see in the connection test, mine was 10.0.0.11 yours will probably be different. Save that then run a connection test again and it should be type A. Whatever router you have should have something similar so just google how to set up dmz for your specific brand.

After doing this I very rarely disconnect.

I went with this model.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AQM8586/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Costs a little more but it's USB 3.0. I figured the inside port supports it and who knows if and when Nintendo will support dedicated servers.

Besides, there are plenty of other devices that support it.

Try wifi. I've been using it for a couple years on my desktop with 0 issue. Great speed and no connectivity problems.

You have to figure out what works in your setup. Many people recommend PCI adapters if you go wireless, but USB works fucking great for me. Very happy with this http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WN722N-Wireless-Adapter-External/dp/B002SZEOLG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1418551585&sr=8-3&keywords=tp+link+wireless+adapter

If you go the wired option and have an Ethernet switch and Ethernet adapters for each Nintendo Switch, then you are effectively setting up your own network and wouldn't need to worry about the company's network as it would all be independent of that and would likely be the best way to guarantee a quality experience.

Example 8 port Switch

USB to Ethernet Adapter

5 Pack of 10' Ethernet Cables

What would be nice is if you could just bring your own wireless router that is not connected to anything, and if every device can connect to this wireless router even though it doesn't have Internet, then it should in theory work the same and prevent you from needing all that extra equipment I listed above.

I would definitely have a chat with your IT department if you have one. It is not uncommon that they may have an extra unused/old Ethernet switch laying around + cables they could let you borrow.

​

Get 16GB RAM with 3600Mhz and good timings (16-18-18-36 ish). Also ditch the evo and get a 1TB Crucial MX500 or ADATA XPG 8200pro. WD black sn750 is also good. I also recommend you get a motherboard without wifi, and buy a separate wifi card with an antenna like https://www.amazon.ca/ASUS-Wi-Fi-Express-Adapter-PCE-AC56/dp/B00JNA337K

is the problem the internet itself or that your devices don't pick up the signal from the router? in the latter case, I can recommend this extender. It's worked great for me. I live on a second floor with the Liberty modem/router downstairs. The difference is night and day since I got it. You can plug the antenna straight into your laptop or use the cable that it comes with and place it somewhere where it gets the best signal. The cable it comes with is only about 2ft however, so you might want to get a longer one depending on your situation.

Tails can be pretty stupid with this one. If it doesn't detect a wifi transmitter, it will not show network or wifi options.

Tails never detected my ASUS usb-wifi dongle, and it took me hours to figure out the problem, the on-board help section kept referring me to the (infuriatingly) non-existent wifi settings.

Your best bet is to use a cheap usb wifi dongle to get connectivity. I tried this one and can confirm it will work with tails, plug and play. Totally solved my issues. Good luck!

I have a sliding door partition to separate the driving area from the rear. I'm able to VHB tape my Outdoor Antenna to my immediate right of my drivers side head rest looking straight out the window. Works great. If you have time warner cable in your area you'll be able to bum a friends or family login information and pickup hotspots all across the city.


I have the outdoor antenna wired from the front running to the rear by attaching a N Male to RP-SMA cable -----> high gain usb wifi adapter N150 works fine ------> using a usb extension cable connect laptop.



Also if you wanted to connect multiple devices you would want to look into hooking up a repeater to your external antenna. I was thinking about building a raspberry pie with a miniature lcd + connected to a router programmed for a repeater. I would be able to connect / program different wifi networks on the fly.....however my setup above works fine for me.

Bit of a strange one. A cursory web search shows that it should work, but Broadcom cards can be finicky. So, if you're struggling, give this a go in the first instance:

Open up terminal and type:
>sudo apt install bcmwl-kernel-source

Hit Enter, type in your password, then hit Enter again. After that, restart your computer.

NOTE

If it is already installed (the output will tell you something along the lines of "package already installed") then do the following:

>sudo apt purge bcmwl-kernel-source

Restart computer, open terminal and do it again:

>sudo apt install bcmwl-kernel-source

/NOTE

If that doesn't work, you may find some help here, where someone has had a similar problem to you. In there, you may be able to find the correct package (driver) by following the links in that guide, or having a bit of an Internet search for them.

That being said, it seems to be a major problem with BT dongles across the board. Therefore, it might be ideal to get a dongle that is out of the box compatible. I have used TP-Link TL-WN823N in the past on Linux and it works flawlessly (it has also been supported in the kernel since October 2010). For the grand total of £6.99, it is a no brainer.

Best of luck!

Yes, but that nano can't do packet sniffing/monitor mode.

If you want a real Kali powerhouse, try a TP-LINK TNxxx with an atheros chipset

This

or This

depending on your budget, and you'll have some great fun with ettercap and all that stuff

I would really enjoy this seeing as I have slow internet and I absolutely adore gaming with my boyfriend (: Also. Elephant Barber :P Something about me. I'm working towards getting my GED so I can head into college. I wanna be a forensic specialist (:

Well the sooner you get started the better then!


In terms of using a laptop for the keyboard, mouse and screen by connecting it via the ethernet cable, it can be a bit slow and laggy so I would recommend just setting it up with a USB keyboard/mouse and HDMI screen (and then you have the ethernet port free to easily connect to the web).


It's not actually an emulator when you use an ethernet cable either (it uses a VNC server and VNC viewer, Google what these mean for more info), so if you ever do this in the future there is no loss in functionality as you are still controlling and viewing the Raspberry Pi (like I said, there's just a bit of delay when using it).


For wifi, I would recommend the Redimax one as it's fully compatible with the Pi. Here is a well written guide for setting it up.


Yes, you could fry the Pi if wiring it incorrectly! The GPIO pins have a maximum tolerable voltage of 3.3 V, so putting anything higher on them will likely do some damage (so a simple rule is stay away from connecting the 5 V output to any circuitry you build). Don't be afraid to ask people on here to check over your circuits, and you can also PM me if you need any advise.


But the good thing is, the Pi is a pretty cheap device so if you do blow it up it won't be too much to replace :P

I have this usb adapter that I use from time to time, and this which I use pretty much all the time and have had for about 2 years. I like being able to move the antenna to get a better signal, right now it's velcro'd to the wall behind my bed.

If you go the usb route I'd probably buy a larger one that I have that has external antennas, like http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WN722N-Wireless-Adapter-External/dp/B002SZEOLG/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1421374210&sr=8-8&keywords=usb+wifi. But I'd still go PCI if you use it a lot, probably last longer and have a better quality connection.

an alternative to consider may be an actual laptop, maybe a refurb you can find cheaply, from which you physically remove the wireless NIC. if you wanted to connect to a wireless network, you could simply plug in a usb wifi adapter. there are some adapters, like this one, that boast native support for linux boxes. the advantage here is that a cheap refurb would have the horsepower to handle everything you wanted to do, as well as providing 100% certainty that it isn't transmitting any data since the adapter's physical presence in a usb port is required.

just be sure to look for a device with easy access to the nic (ymmv).

Just confirmed the OTG cable/flash drive combo works with my wife's Moto G5 but not my Dell Ethernet adapter.

I tried another brand of type c to micro adapters but still nothing on my Z.

I found this adapter which specifically mentions Android support and the product page has a customer submitted compatibility table where someone used it with a Z Force -- https://plugable.com/products/usb2-otge100/

Amazon link -- https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Micro-B-Ethernet-Adapter-Raspberry/dp/B00RM3KXAU

Good luck

Thanks for the all the interest guys! Wasn't expecting this sort of response.
I'll give you all some details on the build so far.

To confirm this isn't for taking onto a flight! The type of case is called flight case.

The case is a flightcase with a foam inlay. The foam has since been ripped out.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/flight-case-with-foam-n70ap

A compact but easy to use wireless keyboard + mouse.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/maplin-mini-wireless-deskset-n69jx

The screen is a 10.1 LCD screen with a 12V LCD controller I got off ebay.
http://www.66ino.com/index.php/raspberry-pi-10-1-tft-lcd-display-module-1280x800-hdmi-vga-av-controller-cable.html

The battery is a 12V 5000mAH NiMH battery pack:
http://www.componentshop.co.uk/12v-5000mah-sc-nimh-compact-battery-pack.html

A USB powered 7 port USB hub from the pi hut to power the Rpi
http://thepihut.com/products/7-port-usb-hub-for-the-raspberry-pi

A 5V UBEC (Universal Battery Elimination Circuit) for stepping down the 12V battery to a constant 5V to power the USB powered hub. You can't see the UBEC in the image, its under the LCD Controller.
http://www.hobbywing.com/product_show.asp?id=209

An Edimax EW-7811UN 150Mbps Wireless Nano USB Adapter
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Edimax-EW-7811UN-150Mbps-Wireless-Adapter/dp/B003MTTJOY/

There are some other minor things like a power switch for the battery. A port for plugging in a 12V DC jack to charge the battery or power the system completely without the battery.
There is also an extension for the ethernet port.

My girlfriend is helping with designing a internal frame/case for the components in the bottom and a mount for the LCD screen. This will probably be in perspex plastic, with an inlay for the keyboard to sit in.

SSDs and HDDs do the exact same thing : store data.

Regular HDDs store data on platters that rotate (think a record player) and can be noisy, hot, and slow. SSDs store data on a chip (think a flash drive), and can be expensive.

They both have pretty important benefits, though : SSDs are really fast, and HDDs can store a lot more data for your dollar.

To put it in perspective, lets say you have $125 to buy a hard drive, you can get an SSD that will hold about 250GB, or a HDD that will hold about 3000GB for the same money.

As far as Wi-fi, most motherboards don't have wi-fi built in, so if you aren't near your router and/or don't want to run a cable from the router, you will need to buy a wi-fi adapter. Even decent wi-fi adapters are pretty cheap - I have this one from amazon and it works great and is nine bucks:

http://www.amazon.com/Edimax-EW-7811Un-Adapter-Raspberry-Supports/dp/B003MTTJOY/

Older Thunderbolt 1 and 2 devices, such as those designed for Apple Mac products, would need an adapter to work with Thunderbolt 3, since Thunderbolt 1 and 2 used Mini DisplayPort (mDP) ports while Thunderbolt 3 switched to USB Type-C.

From slowest to fastest, you have:

• 480 Mbits/s: USB 2.0
  
• 5 Gbits/s: USB 3.0 (aka "USB 3.1 Gen 1", confusingly)
  
• 10 Gbits/s: USB 3.1 Gen 2 (aka true USB 3.1)
  
• 40 Gbits/s: Thunderbolt 3
  
  That's for speed. For the shape of the plug, you can either have USB Type-A (traditional USB shape) or Type-C (the new shape). There's not necessarily any connection between the shape of the plug and speed, though on the XPS 15 9550 the only Type-C port is a Thunderbolt 3 / USB 3.1 Gen 2 port, while the other Type-A ports are USB 3.0. The new MacBook and Chromebook Pixel have USB 3.1 Gen 1 (equivalent to USB 3.0 speed) Type-C ports, while many smartphones coming out with Type-C ports are still working at USB 2.0 speeds.
  
  USB 3.0 or above would be preferable, so that gigabit Ethernet is supported. You can get one that uses the Type-C port if you want, but it will still work at the same speed (USB 3.0) as the normal Type-A version. Adapters that take advantage of USB 3.1, much less Thunderbolt 3, are still rather rare. In any case, using Thunderbolt 3 just for Ethernet would be overkill: better to save the Thunderbolt 3 port for a full-scale dock or an external graphics card.
  
  So, enough background. Some options:
  
  
• AmazonBasics USB 3.0 to 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter ($16.95)
  
• Anker Unibody Aluminum 3-Port USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet Hub ($26.99)
  
• Anker USB-C to 3-Port USB 3.0 Hub with Ethernet Adapter for USB Type-C Devices ($27.99)
  
  The two Anker devices also include a three port USB 3.0 hub, for connecting other stuff.

It's not a bad investment to have a portable wireless device around that is reliable with Linux for problems like this. It would give you a temporary workaround while you install the needed updates. Plus, they're fairly cheap and you can use them anywhere to install Linux on other problem devices. Something that uses the ath9k driver is almost always a solid bet.

I have one of these, and it is really fast: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00416Q5KI/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I have had that exact wireless card in a netbook I used to own. I have gotten brcmsmac to work before in Gentoo and other distros with it, but it was always unreliable. The wl driver works MUCH BETTER with this particular wireless device.

I found a good description of what might help you in this thread. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1889170&p=11502676#post11502676

Blacklisting all the conflicting modules should help.

No I did not. Ended up trying out 2 other different WiFi adapters:

• Edimax EW-7811Un
  
  
• Tenda W311M
  
  EW-7811Un was one where some tweaking of code would be necessary, and the W311M had the same chipset as the F6D4050 and used the nl80211 driver. The W311M using the nl80211 driver ended up working immediately after it was plugged in and booted up.
  
  It seems to be that the F9L1001 v1 is not equipped to handle being an ad hoc access point. If all you need to do is access the internet, then it'll work for that, but if you need it to behave like another device and transmit certain information accordingly, it's not going to do that.
  
  I hope this helps. It was definitely a learning experience for me.
  
  TL;DR: Nope. Ended up using Tenda W311M after some research and it worked.
  
  [edit: added clarification in italics and TL;DR]

considering this is for a beginner, this is a pretty 'advanced' build.

IMO they shouldn't be striving for overclocking their CPU, chances are neither of them fully understand it. They could save some money, skip the cpu cooler and thermal compound, and maybe get that 1440p monitor.

here is a tplink wifi adapter for $12 instead of the $30 one you linked. I mean we should verify with OP but I'd be surprised if they needed over 100mb/s...let alone 800+ that the gigabyte adapter you linked supports.

Could also just get the i5-6500 and save some more money there.

That's like $60 in savings that could go towards a bigger SSD than 60gb (which I think is necessary for a beginner who probably isn't too accustomed to changing file paths for literally everything)

If you can plug in using a wire, I recommend doing so, as it is faster and more stable. You can pick your color/length for solid price here.

If you're in a situation where you can't plug into your router/modem, then wifi is your next choice. Something like this will work just fine, but if you're comfortable attaching a card to your motherboard, this will provide a stronger and more reliable experience.

The big metal thing up top is called Yagi antenna, which is basically just increases signal strength to nearby WiFi access points. Looks like this one

Connected to that is an external USB network adapter, looks like the awesome T-Link Archer or N150 connected to a USB extension.

​

So what OP is doing is extending range and connecting to a different nearby router, probably optimum wifi off campus or something.

​

EDIT: whoops, OP responded while i was typing. Didn't show up until now.

You can use a micro USB adapter like [this one] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RM3KXAU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_73XKAb1Z0AJZE)

Although to be honest, part of the beauty of the Chromecast is how unobtrusive it is. If you really want the functionality of the device without adding more wires, I'd consider getting a gen 2 and seeing if that works better.

Sim Racing Hardware:

• Fanatec DD1 Wheel Base $999.95: https://www.fanatec.com/us-en/wheel-bases/podium-wheel-base-dd1-usa.html
  
• Fanatec ClubSport Steering Wheel BMW GT2 $299.95: https://www.fanatec.com/us-en/steering-wheels/clubsport-steering-wheel-bmw-m3-gt2-us.html
  
• Fanatec ClubSport Shifter SQ V 1.5 $199.95: https://www.fanatec.com/us-en/shifters/clubsport-shifter-sq-us.html
  
• Fanatec ClubSport Handbrake V1.5 (Since you're interested in dirt/rally racing) $119.95: https://www.fanatec.com/us-en/sim-racing-hardware/clubsport-handbrake-v1-5.html
  
• Heusinkveld Sim Pedals Pro: https://heusinkveld.com/products/sim-pedals/sim-pedals-pro/?v=7516fd43adaa
  
  ​
  
  Sim Racing Rig:
  
  (both are 80/20-based and 4 Play Racing is the best deal for Americans):
  
  
• 4 Play Racing HD rig: https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-PLAY-RACING-RACE-HD-Platform-Rig-Simulator-Cockpit-for-OSW-Open-Sim-Wheel/332849054973?hash=item4d7f5984fd:g:MDEAAOSwwPFZyo7n (aluminum) or https://www.ebay.com/itm/4PLAY-RACING-RACE-HD-Platform-BLACK-Rig-Simulator-Cockpit-for-OSW-Open-Sim-Wheel/332848075954?hash=item4d7f4a94b2:g:MDEAAOSwwPFZyo7n (black)
  
• 4 Play Racing triple monitor stand: https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-PLAY-RACING-Triple-Monitor-Stand/332855460882?hash=item4d7fbb4412:g:WzQAAOSwAL9UjoM2 (aluminum) or https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-PLAY-RACING-Triple-Monitor-Stand-BLACK-Anodized/332848083750?hash=item4d7f4ab326:g:WzQAAOSwAL9UjoM2 (black)
  
  ​
  
  PC:
  
  (some of these prices may have changed)
  
  
• Case Phanteks Enthoo Pro M $98.49: https://www.amazon.com/Phanteks-PH-ES515PTG_BK-Tempered-Brushed-Plastic/dp/B01LRVHH6K/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1527118419&sr=8-4&keywords=phanteks+enthoo+pro
  
• Motherboard ASRock Z270 Extreme 4 LGA 1151 $154.99: https://www.amazon.com/ASRock-Z270-EXTREME4-CrossFireX-Motherboard/dp/B01NBEX0EK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527118509&sr=8-1&keywords=asrock+z270+extreme4
  
• CPU (Central Processing Unit) Intel Core i7-7700K $299.99: https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Desktop-Processor-i7-7700K-BX80677I77700K/dp/B01MXSI216/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1527118533&sr=1-1&keywords=7700k
  
• PSU (Power Supply Unit) EVGA SuperNova 850 G2 $119.99: https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-SuperNOVA-Modular-Warranty-220-G2-0850-XR/dp/B00IKDETOC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527118566&sr=8-1&keywords=evga+850+g2
  
• Video card / GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti ~$700. Whatever model is in stock (ASUS, Gigabyte, EVGA, MSI are all good). Try to get one with 3 DisplayPort outputs + 1 HDMI output (instead of 2 DisplayPort outputs + 2 HDMI outputs): https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&N=100007709%20601294835%20601295933
  
• Memory Kingston HyperX FURY Black 8GB Kit (2x4GB) 2133MHz DDR4 Non-ECC CL14 DIMM Desktop Memory (HX421C14FBK2/8): https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-HyperX-2133MHz-Non-ECC-HX421C14FBK2/dp/B00TY6A1P0/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1540805440&sr=1-4&keywords=8gb+ddr4
  
• SSD (Solid State Drive) Samsung 860 EVO 2.5" 500GB 129.99: https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-500GB-Internal-MZ-76E500B-AM/dp/B0781Z7Y3S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1527118286&sr=8-2&keywords=samsung+850+500gb
  
• Monitors 3x Asus VG278Q 144hz @ $289.00/each: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236821
  
• Speakers Logitech Z506 75 watts 5.1 $74.99: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121044
  
• Wireless Keyboard/Mouse Logitech K830 Wireless Illuminated $49.99: https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Illuminated-Living-Room-Keyboard-Touchpad/dp/B00ZOPVSKW/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1527119030&sr=1-1&keywords=k830
  
• USB Wifi adapter ANEWKODI 600Mbps Dual Band (2.4G/150Mbps+5G/433Mbps) Wireless USB Wifi Adapter $16.99: https://www.amazon.com/ANEWKODI-600Mbps-150Mbps-433Mbps-Wireless/dp/B01G8IPLD8/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1527121846&sr=1-3&keywords=usb+wifi+adapter
  
  ​
  
  Sims (all below support triple monitors and VR headsets):
  
  
• iRacing ($50 for first year with promo code + any cars/tracks you license)
  
• Dirt Rally (can be found on sale for ~$15)
  
• Assetto Corsa Ultimate Edition (can be found on sale for ~$25)
  
• Project Cars 2 (can be found on sale for ~$25)
  
  ​
  
  Not listed:
  
  
• Windows 10 operating system (you may already have a license)
  
• Seat (I personally think that car seats are much more comfortable and appropriate for sim racing over "racing" seats)
  
• Anything I forgot?

Heads up, the Amazon Basics USB 3.0 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter has the AX88179 chipset and is confirmed to work perfectly on the Switch. It's a simply plug-and-play installation.
Just make sure you get the USB 3.0 version and not 2.0 and you're golden.

And FYI, the AX88179 chipset actually has a 2-3% failure rate in the first 6 months so no matter what brand you get, you have a small chance of it dying on you in the first year. So I recommend the Amazon Basics one simply because of their customer service. You know Amazon will gladly send you out a new one no questions asked with 2 day shipping if yours stops working. It's also the cheapest of the bunch as well so that's another plus.

Buy a new wireless card. Here is a cheap one:
https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-PCI-Express-Adapter-TL-WN781ND/dp/B0036AFAEW/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_147_lp_tr_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ZG31YN21PDS12QZSKX6M
Here is a nicer one (may be unnecessary):
https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-Express-Adapter-TL-WDN4800/dp/B007GMPZ0A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1498623987&sr=8-2&keywords=pcie+wireless


New GPU will be the biggest improvement. 1050 Ti is a quick and easy upgrade generally ($150).

SSD for OS wouldn't hurt.

Up to 16G ram if you are feeling like a boss.

I would definitely get a better wireless adapter if I were you. Those little usb dongles don't tend to get very good reception.. and your D-link adapter has pretty awful reviews in general.

If you don't mind spending a few bucks, I'd suggest getting a good PCI wireless card.

This one would probably do wonders for you: http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Wi-Fi-Express-Adapter-PCE-AC56/dp/B00JNA337K/

One important standout feature here is that it lets you move your antennas away from obstructions, so you'll have a clearer line of sight for your wireless signal.

Also..

• Make sure to move your router away from other electronics if possible to avoid interference.
  
• Download Wifi Analyzer if you have an android device (link) and find the least congested channel in your area. You have to change this in your router config (usually http://192.168.0.1 in your browser)
  
  

No don't worry, you gave me some useful info. (I used to think that the WiFi issue was something wrong with Linux, but now I know that it's an actual hardware problem)

From what I hear, there is nothing wrong with your computer, just with the wireless chip. I have a Thinkpad Edge myself, and it's fine for me.

Next time you should probably buy a Thinkpad T series used on eBay if you want to save a buck. It sounds crazy, but yes, they are that reliable.

Since I can't find the chip that works with your computer, just go the easy way and use this dongle for $11:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003MTTJOY/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8

While there may be cheaper, IMO this is the best bang for your buck. I use it and know others that use it. Works great with Linux, airmon-ng, and wireshark

TP-Link N150 Wireless High Gain USB Adapter (TL-WN722N) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002SZEOLG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_0fzozbQ54J4ES

Good article here

http://www.howtogeek.com/139433/how-to-turn-a-raspberry-pi-into-a-low-power-network-storage-device/

Also for the wireless bit, if you don't have an edimax adaptor they work great in the pi 2. Last I checked, these were $10 on Amazon.

Edimax EW-7811Un 150Mbps 11n Wi-Fi USB Adapter, Nano Size Lets You Plug it and Forget it, Ideal for Raspberry Pi / Pi2, Supports Windows, Mac OS, Linux (Black/Gold) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003MTTJOY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_gdC7wbG7BT0JA

I recommend this adapter which works with a USB port and works on XP.

Also, you should really install Unofficial SP4 so that you'll be secure. USP4 gets new security updates from Microsoft until April 2019. People say XP is insecure, but they just need to use this and then it's secure :)

I just want the best card I can get, but I'm having some problems figuring out which one that would be ...

Someone suggested this USB adapter which would let me stay clear of BIOS tinkering. Seems like a good solution to me?

I'd recommend this Netgear USB 3.0 / AC1200 for $26

Since it's 2017, it's a good idea to get something dual-band, 802.11ac-capable, capable of at least 2 spatial streams, and that uses USB 3.0 or better (USB 2.0 is too slow to keep up with 802.11ac dongles). Netgear is a long-established brand name in home networking, and hopefully that $26 price doesn't break the bank.

A good way to gauge compatliablity is looking at Amazon reviews by using their keyword search.

It's has a couple reviews with Ubuntu users. Older reviewers (2013-2014) had problems. More recent reviews (2015-2016) seem to indicate it works fine. I'd imagine it's gotten improved kernel support since its release.

Edit: It's shipped and sold by Amazon. So if you do come across issues they'll refund and pay for return shipping within 30 days of purchase. So it's a good way to test it out without too many worries.

USB to Ethernet works flawlessly for me. Definitely worth the money. I got this Y cable and this Ethernet adapter for under $18 altogether. That way I can charge my tablet while the adapter is plugged in for longer sessions. Great performance all around.

Charging is not possible with the Ethernet to micro USB adapters, so I highly recommend this setup if you go this route. Nvidia recommends using a Y cable on their website as well.

I have been using this USB Wi-Fi adapter without any problems since the past couple months. Super cheap and easy to set up, works perfectly.

I'm from the UK but you can find the same for wherever you are.

ASUS PCE-AC56 Carte PCIe Wi-Fi double bande AC1300 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JNA337K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RArXCbTSS5QY0

Gigabyte GC-WB1733D-I Wireless-AC PCI-E Network Interface Card + Bluetooth v5.0-1733Mbps https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FBSV1XZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_5BrXCbRWMABE3

TP-LINK T6E AC1300 Archer Dual Band Wireless PCI Express Adapter with Two Antennas https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B013HCNTZU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6DrXCb6GTM261


I believe the gigabyte one also has bluetooth 5.0 ( not too sure you can look it up) but I would say these are popular ones and worth money. Personally the asus or gigabyte one will do great!

No idea whether it's built in, but a USB adapter like this

https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Wireless-Adapter-Archer-T2UH/dp/B00UZRVY12/

is generally better due to the ability to reposition it a bit.

The long-run solution is running ethernet or setting up MoCA or the satellite equivalent, but that's more expensive.

^^^pcie*
There are a few options.

1. Use a USB card. They're cheap, universal, and (usually) highly reliable. Just be careful about speed, I once bought an edimax usb card and it was great, but then bought a cheap kootek one and it was actually only capable of around 1mbps
   
2. You can buy a powerline adapter. These let you use your existing power lines as ethernet cables, meaning essentially wherever there's an outlet, you can connect a device to ethernet.
   
3. Just run a really, really, long ethernet cable and staple it to the baseboards. the least likely choice, but i personally don't mind it so i figured i'd throw it in there.
   Keep in mind that you're always gonna get faster speeds with a cable as opposed to wireless.
   Merry Christmas, by the way

Not a problem, glad I could help. I use this one. It's super easy to use and works great, just plug and connect. I've had no issues after a year.

Let's get down to buisness.

First off you need to start with your wireless card. What operating system are you running on? Kali Linux is a great OS to run off a thumb drive (Or Nexus, Or rasperry pi even) and it comes with all the programs you need to get going. The card you have needs to support monitor mode and packet injection in order to crack a pass. I know that the TP-Link TL-WN722N works well for this. Find a site to check the model of your current card and look for monitor mode capabilties and packet injection support.

Next we need to boot into kali linux. Kali has a fantastic amount of programs for you to use and im going to leave it up to you. It's a matter of preference. Also worth noting, in a unix terminal the command
ifconfig
can find the name of your wireless adapter (wlan0, wlan1, ect ect).

You wont have any issues trying to crack a password which is protected by WEP but WPA might give you some difficulty. Also dont forget to slow down and take some time to learn about what you're really doing! Thats the only way to really learn. Hope this helps.

Be sure to update your BIOS before you swap out the CPU, which can be found here: https://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/product-support/product/vostro-410/drivers

PSU: https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-WHITE-Warranty-Supply-100-W1-0500-KR/dp/B00H33SFJU/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=evga+PSU&qid=1565767187&s=gateway&sr=8-4

RAM: Get two (total 8GB) https://www.amazon.com/PC2-6400-DESKTOP-Modules-240-pin-Tech/dp/B00C5378J6/ref=sxin_3_ac_d_pm?ac_md=2-0-VW5kZXIgJDI1-ac_d_pm&keywords=ddr2+ram+8gb&pd_rd_i=B00C5378J6&pd_rd_r=c0152c74-5d0e-41a6-b25e-9c85c9ff097d&pd_rd_w=2llFc&pd_rd_wg=1pcZu&pf_rd_p=443560ff-1213-4884-9e43-6946f940cec1&pf_rd_r=7KJSE3EX29M0YW9VJKFW&psc=1&qid=1565770206&s=gateway

CPU: https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Q9400-Processor-U36011-Category/dp/B001DEWO9W/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=core+2+quad&qid=1565767573&s=gateway&sr=8-10

SSD: https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-480GB-Solid-SA400S37-480G/dp/B01N0TQPQB/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=512gb+ssd&qid=1565767984&s=gateway&sr=8-9

GPU: https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GeForce-Graphics-Windforce-Gv-N1650OC-4GD/dp/B07QHGKC2D/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=gtx+1650&qid=1565768280&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Wireless: https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PCE-AC56-Wireless-Express-Adapter/dp/B00JNA337K/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=wireless+card+PCIE&qid=1565768847&s=gateway&sr=8-4

I think the cooler is proprietary. The original should be able to cool the CPU though. Im talking a guess that the case fan is 120mm and the CPU is 92mm. Might have to ask around about the heatsink.

Fan, case: https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NF-F12-PWM-4-Pin-Premium/dp/B00650P2ZC/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=noctua+120mm&qid=1565769226&s=gateway&sr=8-5

Fan, CPU: https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NF-A9-PWM-Premium-Cooling/dp/B00RUZ059O/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=noctua+92mm&qid=1565769286&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Bam. Just got yourself a decent gaming rig.

Total cost: About $415

This was suggested:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00416Q5KI/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1450053914&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX118_SY170&keywords=wireless+dongle&dpPl=1&dpID=3104SMiaGyL&ref=plSrch


And you're right, I just said what was suggested because I really don't understand what the differences/benefits are between the three.


How do I find out how good my house wiring is? Some pointers?


Thanks for the help so far. :) Do you think your suggestion would be good enough for competitive CS:GO or should I look at some way to use an Ethernet cable. (Which would be a lot of hard work, and I'd obviously rather not do)

Are you referring to USB adapters? What is your price point?
The Panda PAU06 has good reviews on Amazon and is cheaper than most dual band adapters of comparable quality. I personally own the Linksys WUSB6300 and the TP-Link Archer T4U, both are good and the Archer works really easily with Linux as well, if that's your thing.

Ralink (now owned by Realtek) made several USB WiFi chipsets that had OS X driver support, including PPC 10.4. It uses its own settings app rather than the native AirPort settings so is a bit clunky, but does 802.11n and WPA/WPA2. The devices are super cheap too, $8 on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Edimax-EW-7811Un-150Mbps-Raspberry-Supports/dp/B003MTTJOY

Edimax has 10.4 drivers for newer devices as well: even an 802.11ac dongle! See http://www.edimax.us/html/english/frames/b-download.htm

If you have PCI slots, these are great:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0713RRZMB/

Intel 802.11ac chip (at least it was when I purchased), regularly sustain 500+ Mbps connections (using Ruckus APs).

These are really nice USB ones as well:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00416Q5KI/

Ralink driver if I remember right. They are Wireless N, but still generally good. Typically about 120 - 175 Mbps connections

I've also used these before if you have strong APs and don't need super fast speed:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B008IFXQFU/

Expect about 40-60 Mbps connections

!check

Yeah i have, i move the pc around a bit so the wireless is less hassle. While i have you here. Any idea why i get shitty download speeds but excellent ping with this adapter? I am one floor below the router. Games such as rocket league, bf4, overwatch i usually have 20-40 ping, while at the same location i have 8 download speed.

Edimax EW-7811Un 150Mbps 11n Wi-Fi USB Adapter, Nano Size Lets You Plug it and Forget it, Ideal for Raspberry Pi / Pi2, Supports Windows, Mac OS, Linux (Black/Gold) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003MTTJOY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_FcTwybP93TH04

Any commidity ~$15-20 USB dual-band wifi dongle would probably do just fine. Depends on how congested your wifi bands are, you may want to take a look using something like Wifi Analyzer (mobile app). One with a proper antenna may do better if your signal isn't as good, but I've used the tiny pinky-sized ones before in more suburban areas without issue. If you're packed in an apartment or dense living with a billion WAPs you may want better equipment on both the router and adapter side.

ex.

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-TL-WN725N-wireless-network-Adapter/dp/B0088TKTY2

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Archer-T2UH-Dual-Band-Compatible/dp/B00UZRVY12

The cheaper no-name ones may still be just fine as well.

I have this thing, hasn't failed me yet.

I dunno if its the best one out there but it works well in both Windows and Linux, so presume it should work in Mac as well. Picked it up for basically nothing when Newegg Randomly gave me a $10 gift card a little while back.